Love Birds
by S.Spooky
Summary: Sora and Kairi are ensnared in Selphie's matchmaking schemes. But what happens when they end up getting attracted to each other by their own doing?
1. Prologue

**Love Birds**

Hey guys. I'm back this time with my second fic. The idea came to me while I was getting ready for school and I wanted this story to be different from other stories you might have read. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts I or II. I just own this story.

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**Prologue**

_When a bird first learns to fly, its mother or father nudges it out of the nest. Once in that downward plunge, the young bird has two choices to make- flap its wings in hopes of surviving or plummet. If the bird chooses the first option, it lives to take to the skies another day. It's the same deal with love. Sometimes, a nudge is all it takes._

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Don't worry. It gets better from here on out. On to chapter one.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	2. Chapter I

Italics indicate character thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

**Chapter I**

_Good morning Destiny Islands and you're turned into K ORG 13! This is DJ D-Myx spinning all your favorite rockin' hits all day. It is 7 o'clock and you know what that means. It's time to roc…_

Sora turned off his clock radio. He sat up on his bed and yawned. He was still sleepy but he couldn't resist the smell of bacon and eggs that were frying downstairs.

"Sora, dear," his mom called from downstairs, "it's time for you wake up. You don't want to be late for school now."

Sora pushed himself off his bed and ran his hand through his brown spiky hair. He didn't really fancy the idea of going to school today since every day was the same ol' routine. He'd go to school, sit in his classes, and end up falling asleep sooner or later. He hardly talked to anyone except for his friends, Riku, Tidus, and Wakka. Afterwards, he would return home and repeat the cycle the next day.

He left his room and slid down the stair railings. The smell of breakfast lured him into the kitchen and he pulled out a chair and sat down. His mom placed an overflowing plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him.

"Thanks mom," Sora said, "this looks great!"

"No problem," his mom replied, "oh and I hope you remembered that my book meeting is today which means I won't be home until later on tonight. Make sure you get all your homework done and don't spend all your time playing your guitar."

"Don't worry. I won't. I promise." His mom left the kitchen to get ready for her book club meeting. Sora knew that her mom did more than just discuss books at the meeting. Half the time, they would talk about fashion, kids, politics, basically everything that encompassed everyday life.

Sora finished shoveling down his food and dumped the dishes in the sink. Afterwards he ran upstairs and got ready to leave. After ten minutes, or so, he was out the door.

The sun was out and shining brilliantly and since Sora lived a few blocks from school, it took him no time to get there. He shooed off a flock of pigeons that were in his way and continued up the steps into the main building.

_Looks like no one knows it's Monday, today._

The school was lively for some reason. A few students hung by their lockers. Others were walking to and fro, and some were reading, their face buried in the pages. Sora snickered; he always wondered how they never bumped into anything.

He scratched his head and turned into the hall to get to his locker. He placed a hand on the lock and just before fiddling with the dial, he heard an ear-splitting shriek.

"Kairi!!"

Sora turned his head and eyed the loudmouth girl dressed in yellow. She stood in the middle of the hall, blocking traffic. She got up on her tip toes and called once again.

"Kairi, get over here. You're not going to be late for chemistry; you have like five minutes."

Ironically, Sora had chemistry too. He turned around and eyed his chemistry class where a girl with red hair was standing under the door frame.

"Kairi," the loudmouth girl hollered again, "get your butt over here. I have to tell you something."

"Kairi, huh," mouthed Sora as he watched the red headed girl leave her post to attend to her impatient and vociferous friend.

Sora jimmied his locked open and pulled out his chemistry book and laboratory manual. He entered the class and took a seat near the back. Soon everyone filled the remaining chairs around him and their teacher, Mr. Ansem, began class.

"Today you'll be doing lab work," he said with his arms crossed, "it's basically a qualitative experiment and you'll be observing reactions the whole time. You'll be working with chemicals- acids and bases as a matter of fact, so be careful. Don't mix an acid and base together because we all know what will happen, right?"

Ansem looked around, hoping for any brave soul to answer the question. His yellow, hawk-like eyes scanned around and his gaze fell on several students. Wakka immediately sat up and stopped toying with his pencil. Riku lifted his head but upon eye contact, he abruptly turned away.

Ansem shifted his attention to the other side of the room. He smirked as he focused on one particular, daydreaming student.

"Sora!" Ansem called out. Sora jumped out of his chair and placed a hand over his chest.

"Y-Yes sir?" Sora responded. His heart beat faster and sweat was forming on his brow.

"Can you please inform the class what happens when an acid and base is mixed? It seems your fellow peers don't know."

Sora wiped his forehead before answering. "Um…wa-water and salt is formed? Right?"

"Yes, that is correct. You should be a bit more confident in your answer. Well then class, since you now know this, get to work on the lab," he said as he passed out result sheets.

Ansem assigned lab partners and sent the students to get gloves and an apron.

"So, uh…Kairi, how do you want to this?" asked Sora.

"Let's see. You can mix all the chemicals and record the results. I can start on the net ionic equations."

"Alright. Sounds good to me. I hate doing N.I.Es. They are so boring and useless. You can cheat your way through them if you know which resulting compounds form precipitates."

"Jeez Sora, aren't you the little smarty-pants," Kairi giggled, "first your answer Mr. Ansem's question correctly and now you're telling me how to cheat my way through chemistry."

Sora blushed and turned his head, hoping that Kairi didn't see the pink streaks on his face. They finished the lab pretty early and handed in their reports. Sora sat down at his station and buried his head in his arms. He was still pretty tired and luckily, lunch was just around the corner.

"Hey, Sora," Kairi said.

Sora lifted his head and raised his eyebrows.

"It was great working with you on the lab. I can't believe we finished super early."

"Yeah, it was great working with you too."

The bell rang students stampeded out the door. Sora walked out of the classroom and headed to his math class. He wasn't a mathematician but he did find the subject somewhat interesting. He entered his math class that was on the second floor of the building and took a seat towards the back of the class. Riku soon entered and pulled up into the desk next to him.

"Hey Sora, what's up?" the silver haired boy asked.

Sora turned to him, "Nothing much Riku."

Class soon started and their teacher Ms. Aerith started the lesson on the perimeter and area of shapes. Sora took out his notebook and jotted down a few notes. He looked over the problems Ms. Aerith wrote on the board and he nodded his head. _This stuff isn't that bad, boring, but not bad._ Too bad Riku agreed with the latter; he could be heard snoring a mile away. He was wakened up and given detention. The bell rang just in the nick of time for lunch. Sora grabbed his grumbling stomach and headed out.

Sora walked into the cafeteria and stood in line. Today was hotdog and burger day and Sora could already taste it. Thankfully, the line quickly dwindled and Sora loaded his tray with a burger, a hotdog, and fries. Somehow he was able to find space for his drink. He made his way over to the counter to pick up some condiments and began looking for a seat.

_Looks like I'm eating outside this time._

Sora spotted the door to the outside lunch area and was just about to head outside when he heard a: "Hey, Sora, over here. You can sit with us."

He turned his head in the direction of the voice and noticed Kairi waving him over. Sora found an empty seat across from her and he plopped himself down.

"Thanks. I was thinking I was going to have to eat outside today."

"Ooohhh, who's this?" a girl asked as she pulled up into the seat next to Kairi. Sora noticed that it was the same girl who was calling Kairi over before chemistry class started.

"Oh, hey Selphie. This is Sora. Sora, this is my overly, hyperactive, friend, Selphie."

"Nice to meet cha!" Selphie greeted.

Sora flashed his famous grin and added a: "It's nice to meet you too."

"Sora is in my chemistry class. He was my lab partner today," Kairi informed Selphie.

"Oh yeah? That's cool," Selphie said.

"He's also a bit of a smarty-pants. He answered Mr. Ansem's question right."

"You must be really good at chem," Selphie exclaimed, "he always asks such hard questions."

Sora shook his head before answering, "Not really. I just like mixing things up and seeing if they blow up or not."

Sora took a bite out of his burger and stuffed a handful of fries in his mouth. Kairi, too, was also munching on her burger. Selphie dove right into her hotdog but lifted up her head every now and then to notice Kairi staring at Sora and vice-versa. The bell rang again and the three parted ways for their next class.

"Well, guys, I'm heading off to class. I guess I'll see you guys around," Sora said as he rose from his seat.

"Wait, what class do you have?" Kairi asked.

"Band."

"Oooohhh. What instrument do you play?" Selphie inquired.

"Guitar."

"Sexy!" Selphie said in a seductive tone.

"Selphie!"

"What, Kairi. You like guitar players too?"

"Wait, what!?"

"HA! You're blushing. I knew it," Selphie proudly stated. Her grin widened and her eyes narrowed down on Kairi like eagles hunting down their prey. Any minute now, Kairi would squeak and when that happens...

"N-no, I never said that," Kairi protested. Selphie didn't relent and started to nudge Kairi.

Kairi took a step back to calm herself down before continuing, "I just wanted to tell you that we should get to class soon."

Selphie frowned, "Don't worry. We still have time. It's only choir, you know. The teacher won't care if we're. He likes you. You're like his best student."

Selphie turned her attention back to Sora. "I wished there was a guy who would serenade me while playing a guitar. That would be so cute, wouldn't you think so too, Kairi?"

"I- I guess."

Kairi couldn't take it anymore. Selphie was literally breathing down her neck. She turned around to hide her blushing face and headed out the cafeteria. Sora also took his leave but out the other door. Selphie trailed behind Kairi and shook her head.

_She is so oblivious._

Slowly, a small smile formed on her face.

* * *

This concludes the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it so far and I'll have DJ D-Myx play this out.

DJ D-Myx: Tune in next time for the second chapter. Reviews are great. Flames, not courtesy of Axel, are welcome.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	3. Chapter II

DJ D-Myx: You're tuned into Spooky's fic, _Love Birds_. Once again, Spooky does not own Kingdom Hearts, or the songs, _Accidentally in Love_ by the Counting Crows or _I Want to Know What Love Is_ by Foreigner.

* * *

**Chapter II**

The school day finally ended and the kids were dismissed to go home. Instead of heading directly home, Sora trekked down to the local ice cream parlor two blocks down. He swung open the door and noticed that many students were already inside and a long line had begun forming. Scrooge McDuck's Ice Cream Shoppe (Scrooge's, for short) was always a local favorite, especially with students. Sea-salt ice cream was a must-have and the other ice cream flavors- vanilla, chocolate, mint, etc. weren't half bad either. Sora stood in line behind fifteen other students and waited until he could order. Normally, Sora didn't drop by the parlor often but he figured today was a good time, if there ever was one.

"I can help the next customer over here," the cashier called out.

Sora stepped up and gave the cashier one of his famous grins. He looked up at the menu and decided to order a sea-salt ice cream cone.

"What size did you want?" the girl named Yuffie asked him.

"Uh…I'll take a large cone."

"Alright, that will come out to four munny."

Sora handed her the money and took the ice cream cone. He found a seat outside at an umbrella table. He leaned back on the chair and began to enjoy his frozen treat.

"Hey Sora," Kairi called out as she exited the parlor, "fancy meeting you here."

"Oh, hey Kairi, what's up?" Sora replied as he chomped down on the rest of his cone. "I didn't see you in there."

"I was in the back of the line with Selphie. She's still inside ordering ice cream," she replied.

She turned her head to look through the window. "I have a hunch that she got everything on the menu again."

Sora also took a gander and saw Selphie point at different toppings. Her finger moved from one selection to the next with blazing speed and accuracy. He raised his eyebrows. "I see. I'm guessing she really likes her sweets…"

"She does. But with or without sugar, she's just as hyper and crazy!" Kairi said while she shook her head.

Selphie finally finished ordering and took her massive ice cream cone outside. It measured a little over a foot with every flavor and topping known to man stacked on top of each other and it completely blocked her view. She almost ran into a couple of kids but they were able to dive out of the way in time.

"Hey Selphie, over here," Kairi called.

Selphie followed the voice and hurried over to her friend while trying to keep her ice cream in one piece. After several struggles, she managed to get into a seat and began indulging herself.

"It's great to see you too, Selphie," Sora said sarcastically.

Selphie tilted her head out from behind her "leaning tower of ice cream".

"Oh, hey Sora! I didn't see you there. What are you doing here?"

"I just came by for some ice cream. I didn't have anything to do at home so I figured I should drop by."

A few minutes passed and Selphie was about half-way done. Sora and Kairi were both looking at her, marveling over the fact that she didn't succumb to brain freeze yet. Selphie took a few more licks and jammed the rest of the ice cream in her mouth. Sora's eyes widened.

_Wow, remind me to keep her away from my fridge._

Kairi checked her watch and found that it was already four o'clock. She got up and motioned to Selphie. "Come on. I have to get home in 30 minutes or my mom might worry. Plus I have homework to do still. See you later, Sora."

Selphie wiped her mouth and stood up. She waved goodbye to Sora took off after Kairi.

"Wait up!"

Sora figured he'd better head home too. He still had homework to finish as well. After ten minutes of walking, he reached home. He opened the door and headed straight to his room. He dropped his backpack on his desk and pulled out his textbooks. He decided to hold off chemistry until tomorrow and save history for later tonight. That left math, Sora's worst subject. He took a deep breath and cracked open the book. He took out a sheet of blank notebook paper and began working out the geometry problems. He got a little over halfway before he decided to take a break. Solving for the area and perimeter problems gave him a headache and these infernal word problems made it worse. He walked over to his guitar stand and pulled out his electric guitar. He plugged in the amp and connected all the wires. He strummed a few chords and upon hearing that everything sounded fine, he began playing. A few hours passed by the time Sora finally stopped. He looked over at his clock and it was close to seven. His mom would be home any minute now and Sora still had to finish his geometry homework.

_Looks like I won't be getting to history tonight, after all._

He was able to finish up the remainder of his homework and closed the book. His mom entered his room and greeted him.

"Hey hun. How was school today?"

"It was fine."

"No problems?"

"None."

"Anything I need to know?"

"Nope."

"Alright then. Did you eat dinner yet?"

"Not yet. I'll eat later."

His mom left the room and headed back downstairs. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels.

Sora turned on his computer and checked his email. There was nothing new so Sora logged off. He went downstairs and ate dinner. He was a bit tired, so he finished eating and got ready for bed.

-KH-

The next day quickly came. Kairi woke and got ready for school. She finished her breakfast and stepped into the shower. After a while, she got out, dried her hair, and put on her outfit. The doorbell rang and her mom answered it.

"Kairi, sweetie, Selphie is here."

Kairi grabbed her backpack and went out of her room.

"Hey Selphie."

"Hey Kairi, ready to go?"

"Almost, just give me a second to put on my shoes."

Everyday, the two walked to school together. This trend started way back since elementary school and it's been set in stone ever since. Selphie lived just across the street so it was really convenient for both of them. They were also in many of the same classes and when the day concluded, they walked home together also.

The girls left Kairi's house and walked to school. Kairi opened her pink backpack and pulled out her MP3 player. She adjusted the ear buds so they would fit tightly in her ear and put the MP3 player on shuffle. The song, _Accidentally in Love_ by the Counting Crows began playing and Kairi hummed along. Selphie turned her head to hear Kairi humming something and she immediately recognized the song.

"Come on, come on turn a little faster. Come on, come on the world will follow after," Selphie sang. She knew Kairi loved this song for she kept playing it often. What's worse is that the song became stuck in Selphie's head.

The two finally reached their destination and Kairi put her away her music. They ascended the stairs into the main building and started their school day.

At three o'clock the bell rang and Kairi waited for Selphie at the flag pole. Selphie was coming in from P.E. which was way on the other side of the campus. Kairi was lucky; her last class was English and it was located near the front of the school. Kairi took a seat on the grass and soon Selphie came and joined her.

"Hey, sorry I took so long Kairi. All the girls were taking too long to shower and I was the last one."

"It's ok Selphie. I just got here."

"Oh, ok. Hey, do you mind if I come by your house today if you don't have any homework? My teachers didn't assign any and it's pretty boring at my house."

"Yeah, sure. That'd be fine. I don't have homework either. We could watch movies or something."

"Yay! Have you seen 'The Organization?' I think they're showing it tonight on channel 7."

"No, what's movie's that?"

"It's a bunch of guys dressed in black and they go around doing causing mischief. It's like the 'Godfather' but not as long and this one guy with red hair who stars in it is so hot." (No pun intended)

"Ok. Sounds interesting, I suppose."

Sora rounded the corner and caught a glimpse of Kairi's red hair from his peripheral vision. He decided to walk up to them.

"Hey Selphie, hey Kairi."

"Oh hey Sora," Kairi and Selphie said in unison.

"You guys heading home or are you planning to drop by Scrooge's again?"

"No, I'm going to Kairi's house since I don't have anything to do at home," Selphie answered.

"Oh, alright then. I guess I'll see you guys later."

Sora wrapped his hands behind his head began walking away but was suddenly stopped.

"Hey, Sora," Kairi asked, "Which way do you live?"

"Down that way," he pointed.

"Hey, that's where we live! Kairi lives across the street from me."

"What street is that?"

"Maple Street."

"That's where I live too," Sora exclaimed, "small world, huh?"

"Haha, I guess," Kairi laughed.

"Hey, I know. Let's all walk together," Selphie suggested.

"Okay."

So the three friends took off toward home. Sora's house came into view and he pulled out his keys.

"This is my house guys," said Sora as he opened the door, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, aren't you even going to invite us in?" Selphie asked. She put her hands on his hips and leaned forward as if she was trying to look inside.

"Oh…sure…I guess." Sora stuttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Did you guys want to come in?"

He opened the door fully and stepped to the side so the girls could get in. The house had a traditional look to it with wooden floors, a fireplace, and a chandelier hung above the kitchen table. The girls entered the house and stepped into the living room.

"Cozy house you have here, Sora," Kairi complimented.

"Thanks."

"Ooohhh, a guitar," Selphie squealed, "Sora, play something."

"Um…sure. What did you want to hear?"

"Anything," Kairi suggested.

Sora lifted his dad's acoustic guitar from the stand and sat down on the couch. He strummed a few chords, adjusted the tuners, and started playing.

_This song sounds so familiar thought Kairi._

"What song is this?" she asked.

"It's Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows. I haven't played this song in ages and I wanted to see if I remembered it."

"Ooohhh. This is one of Kairi's favorite songs," Selphie pointed out, "she listens to this song a lot. She was even humming it this morning on the way to school."

Kairi blushed out of embarrassment as Sora continued playing. He even threw in a few different chords and notes for effect. He started singing and it would have made Adam Duritz extremely proud or, on the other hand, extremely jealous. (Adam is the leading singer for the Counting Crows)

Kairi was still pink and it was a good thing Sora wasn't paying any attention. She never knew Sora could play so well, let along sing in a way that could make butter melt. _I have to get a recording of this._

Selphie looked over at Kairi and noticed her blushing. Selphie grinned.

Sora ended the song by playing a few arpeggios. Kairi was still star struck to say anything but that never stopped Selphie.

"That was awesome, Sora," Selphie exclaimed, "it's wwaayyy better than the original, right Kairi?"

Kairi still had her jaw on the floor but slowly nodded her head. Sora's playing was great. It was stupendous. It was awesome. It was surreal. It was, wow. (As smooth as butter)

"You know, when you get famous, don't forget about me," Selphie teased, "you know, you should start recording some stuff."

"I have, but it's of my band, the Key-bearers."

"Who's in your band?"

"Riku. He plays bass. My cousin Roxas plays the drums but he lives in Twilight Town. I play the guitar and I also sing only because no one else wants to or they claim they can't. But whatever. No big deal. Um…Wakka plays the keyboard and Tidus plays the guitar too."

Sora headed up to his room and pulled out a CD from under his books. He came back downstairs and handed it to Selphie and Kairi.

"They're mainly covers but we have two original songs on there."

"Gee, thanks Sora," Selphie said. Her smile widened and she gripped the CD tighter.

Sora played another song and when he finished, the girls decided it was time to go home.

Later that night, Kairi booted up her computer and opened her music library. It was already preset on shuffle and when Kairi pressed play, the Counting Crow's hit played. Kairi fell on her bed and hummed along with the words. She started drifting off to sleep but then the image of Sora singing snapped her out of her trance. She moved a hand to her face and felt her cheeks get hot. She ran into the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water.

_What is going on?_

Kairi paused the song but she could still hear Sora singing in the back of her mind. She took out the CD of Sora's band and played it. She could hear a piano playing softly in the background. The music was slow and calming and the drums and bass played rhythmically. Soon, Sora began to sing. Kairi didn't recognize the song but it gripped her. The sweet melody of the piano and the hum of the guitar soothed her and she fell asleep.

_I'm gonna take a little time  
A little time to look around me  
I've got nowhere left to hide  
It looks like love has finally found me_

* * *

DJ D-Myx: Dang Spooky, this is one rockin' fic.

Me: Thanks, man. I pleased to know you like it.

DJ D-Myx: No sweat. By the way, why don't you tell our listeners here when the next fic is

coming out.

Me: Next one's coming out later on. I don't have an exact date but as long as there's interest,

I'll keep updating. I try to update weekly and if there is any breaking news, it will be posted

on my profile.

DJ D-Myx: Alright. You guys heard it here first. This is K ORG 13, home of Destiny Island's

best rockin' music.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	4. Chapter III

Disclaimer: I don't own KH or _Accidentally in Love_ by the Counting Crows or _Livin' on a Prayer_ by Bon Jovi or _Back in Black _by AC/DC.

* * *

**Chapter III**

The weekend finally came and the three friends decided to spend the afternoon at Scrooge's. Sora ordered a sea-salt cone, officially establishing it as his favorite ice cream. Kairi got a neopolitan ice cream bar and forced Selphie to buy just a regular sized cone with every topping on it. Selphie frowned but Sora whispered something in her ear that made her smile and go along with Kairi's idea. Kairi looked at them weirdly but disregarded it. The three amigos started talking about whatever came up and soon Sora found out that Kairi could sing.

_Wow, she can sing. That's awesome!_

"No…I only sing for school. I'm not really that good," Kairi stated in her defense. She shook her head trying to get the point across.

"Are you kidding me?!" Selphie blurted out, "You're a way better singer than everyone in choir. Even Mr. Sebastian knows that!"

"Well…he's just being really nice," Kairi said. She looked over to Sora and nodded her head. Sora grinned.

Kairi felt her cheeks burn and turned her head in the opposite direction.

They finished their ice cream and instead of hanging out, Sora, Kairi, and Selphie just headed home. It was pretty long week and the next week was going to be spooky, guaranteed.

Sora reached home and turned on the TV. He flipped through a few channels to see what was on but nothing appealed to him. Suddenly his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sora. It's Roxas. I'm going to be in town for the weekend."

"Really? That's awesome man."

"I'm guessing your mom didn't tell you, huh?"

"No, she didn't. She probably forgot, I guess. So when are you going to be here?"

"I'll be there tomorrow morning by myself. I'm taking a plane and hopefully I can get a cab to your place."

"Sweet. Maybe I can get the guys together and we could work on our songs and stuff. You still have to show me that new skateboard trick you learned."

"Yeah, no problem man. I'll see you then."

Sora hung up the phone and went upstairs. He plugged up his guitar and played a few licks. He stopped when he heard something in his driveway. He looked out the window and saw that his mom was home from work. She even brought home dinner.

"Hey Sora. I'm home. I brought dinner."

Sora raced downstairs and gave his mom a quick hug.

"What did you get?"

"Chicken," her mother answered with a wide grin as she lifted up the bag to show him.

The two ate their dinner and Sora brought up that Roxas was spending the weekend in town tomorrow.

"Oh, right. I totally forgot about that. I was intending to mention that to you but my mind's been pretty occupied lately," his mom stated.

"Does it have to do with work?"

"A little. My manager informed us that there's a new position opening up."

Sora's mom worked at Island Bank, the oldest and biggest bank on Destiny Islands, literally. When Sora first saw it, he couldn't believe his eyes. The bank was as tall as skyscrapers and it was shaped like a cylinder. It was the second tallest structure on the island, second only to the radio tower which broadcasted K ORG 13 and other local stations.

"Hopefully, if I can get the position, I'll be moved from the bottom floor into management," Sora's mom continued saying, "plus I'll be paid more and everything will be better. Also, I'll have my own office."

Sora dug into his chicken wing and nodded his head slightly. He really wanted his mom to get the position but he wondered how much time it would demand from her. Before Sora's dad got promoted to a production manager, he was a sales representative at Gummi Corporation which specialized mainly in gummi ship production and gummi sales/service. After that, his dad was offered a higher position at Traverse Town. He gladly accepted it. On the downside, Sora hardly saw his dad outside of Christmas and summer vacation. They talked on the phone every once in a while but it was just never the same.

Sora finished dinner and headed upstairs. He took out his phone and dialed Riku, Wakka, and Tidus and explained to them that Roxas was spending the weekend at his house. Luckily, they were all free on Saturday and band practice was scheduled.

The next day Sora awoke to the sound of an engine humming outside. He looked out the window and saw a van. _Roxas is here pretty early._

"Hi Roxas. How are you? Long time no see," Sora's mom said as she led him into the house.

Roxas gave Sora's mom a quick hug before he stepped inside the house. The driver unloaded the luggage and Sora came down to help take them into the guest bedroom.

"Sora!" Roxas shouted.

"Hey cousin. You're here too early."

"Well, my flight was early."

"That's a rarity!"

"I know, tell me about it! So when are the guys gonna get here?"

"I told them to drop by at around ten."

Sora left the guestroom and Roxas laid down on the bed. He was still pretty tired from the flight and decided to catch a few Z's.

After a few hours of sleep, he was woken up by someone knocking on his door. He looked up at the wall clock and it read '10:00.' _That must be the guys._

Roxas opened the door and was immediately greeted by Tidus, Wakka, and Riku.

"Hey Roxas, my man. How you been?" asked Tidus.

"I see you're still skateboarding brudda," said Wakka.

"Hey guys let's head down to the garage and get this thing started. We only have a few months before the battle of the bands," Riku suggested.

"When is it?" asked Roxas.

"It's in April during Spring Break and it's going to be awesome, ya."

"Oh yeah!" Tidus said as he pumped his fist.

The guys walked into the garage and got into rock formation. Sora stood at the front and strapped his Frankenstrat replica guitar over his shoulder. He then set up the microphone and spoke into it.

"Testing. Testing, one, two, three."

Wakka slid behind the keyboard and played a few scales to warm up. Roxas jumped behind the drums and whipped out his sticks. Riku fiddled with his bass amp and Tidus plugged in his black colored squier strat.

"Do you guys have a specific song we could play for April?" Sora asked.

"What about _Back in Black _by AC/DC?" Riku suggested.

"Maybe…_Livin' on a Prayer _by Bon Jovi," Tidus added.

"How about _Accidentally in Love_ by the Counting Crows?" Roxas asked, "it's a great song and we all know how to play it already. We can just revamp it so it's more original and stuff."

Sora nodded at his cousin's song choice. The image of Kairi popped into his head and remembering that this song was Kairi's favorite, Sora blushed.

After a quick vote, _Accidentally in Love_ turned out to be the winner by one vote. Sora's vote, obviously, was the tie breaker. Band practice went pretty smoothly. They nailed the beginning parts of the song but suffered a few bumps and bruises as the song progressed. Whether it was Tidus snapping his string or Riku's amp going haywire it was still pretty decent by all accounts. Sora worked on a little guitar solo and Tidus and Wakka were tricked into singing backup. Riku stopped the recorder and the group took a break.

"Whoo, it sounds great you guys," Riku told the group, "once we fully record this, I'll send copies to you."

After the break, the band discussed other details like who was counting off, when to start/end, and deciding when to have future practices. Practice was adjourned and Sora and Roxas spent the whole day skateboarding.

-KH-

Monday dragged on for Selphie who was currently sitting in history class. Mr. Diz was a pretty boring teacher to say the least. His monotone voice could put any student to sleep. Too bad Selphie was feeling the effects of the candy bar she snacked on earlier. She was wide awake but didn't have the interest to pay attention.

"…and that my friends is how Destiny Islands became what it is today," Mr. Diz finished saying, "Now, if you look at your calendar, you'll notice that I assigned chapter two for homework. I won't be specifically covering it in class so therefore you must read it. It will be on the test."

Selphie banged her head on her desk causing a few students to jump out of their seats.

"Selphie!" Mr. Diz called, "are you alright? Should I send you to the nurse?"

Selphie immediately grinned and opened her eyes. _This could be my only shot to get out of here. _She dismissed her smile and lifted her head to address the teacher. To make her even more convincing, she squinted her eyes to make herself look tired.

"Yes, I don't feel so well," she groaned.

Mr. Diz wrote her a pass and Selphie skipped out of the room. A few students had confused looks on their faces. Mr. Diz refrained from saying anything and turned to finish his lecture. Selphie went into the nurse's office and asked for a cup of water. She took a seat in the chair and waited for the bell to dismiss her for lunch.

The bell rang and Selphie headed to the cafeteria. She founded Kairi sitting at a table and decided to join her.

"Hey Kairi what do you think of Sora's CD?"

"I only listened to one song but I fell asleep when I was listening to it. I was really tired that night."

"Oh, I listened to all of it and I'm telling you, Sora's gonna be famous one day! Do you think I could be his manager?"

Kairi laughed. Forget manager, Selphie was going to be the band's number one groupie. Kairi turned her head and noticed Sora sitting at the opposite table talking with three other boys. The boy with long, silver hair was sitting next to Sora and was eating a pizza. Across the table were two other boys. One had orange hair; the other had blonde hair. They too were eating pizza. They were laughing about something and giving each other high fives.

"Hey Selphie, do you know who those boys are?" Kairi said.

Selphie looked over to see what Kairi was talking about and nodded her head.

"I don't know them but if they're friends of Sora's they must be cool people. Let's go over and say hi!"

"I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, we don't really know them and won't we be interrupting their conversation?" Kairi wasn't a real shy girl but she knew better than to butt into other people's conversations.

"Aww, come on Kairi. It'll be fine. I promise." Selphie grabbed her arm and pulled her over to Sora's table.

Kairi struggled a bit but Selphie's determination proved too much. Kairi was being dragged like a little kid across the cafeteria.

"Uh…Selphie," Kairi said, trying to convince her one last time to let go, "you can let go of me now."

"Nuh uh. You'll end up running away."

Kairi pouted. Selphie was too dang smart for her own good, or at least, Kairi's own good.

Selphie and Kairi finally made it to Sora's table. Selphie grinned as she let out a: "Hey Sora." Kairi had her head down.

Sora looked up and greeted the girls with a warm smile. He moved over and insisted for them to sit.

"Selphie, Kairi," Sora started, "this is Riku, Tidus, and Wakka."

"Whoa, aren't you guy's in Sora's band?" Selphie asked amazed. She was practically now friends with up and coming rock stars.

"Actually, we're not in Sora's band," Riku pointed out.

Selphie raised an eyebrow and was just about to say something when Riku finished his thought.

"Sora's in my band."

Riku looked over at Tidus and Wakka and they busted out laughing. Sora glared at them and let out a 'whatever.'

"You guys can bring your lunch over here and eat with us if you want," Sora offered, "we were just talking about the battle of the bands competition coming this April."

"Yeah, it's rumored to the bigger and better than one last year," Tidus added. "We came in fourth place but we're going to win this time."

"What song are you guys going to play?" Kairi asked.

Sora looked at her and smiled, "It's a secret."

While the group was eating, Riku pulled Selphie aside.

"What's the deal with Kairi?" he asked her out in the hallway, "she keeps looking at Sora all googlie eyed and stuff."

"I think she likes Sora but is afraid to tell him," Selphie answered.

Riku laughed. "We should try to set them up."

"Duh! What do you think I've been trying to do?" Selphie eyed an orange flyer posted on the bulletin board and ripped it down to show Riku.

Riku furrowed his eyebrows and then grinned. "I like the way you think."

* * *

DJ D-Myx: What on earth is Riku and Selphie planning? I guess you'll have to tune in next time for the next chapter.

Don't forget to review.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	5. Chapter IV

I decided to upload this chapter a few days early. Just think of it as an early gift.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, American Eagle, or Star Wars.

You know, I haven't thanked any of my reviewers or readers in a while. So thank you guys for your support. You guys are great and for those you who have supported this fic, you have my sincerest gratitude. I would personally like to thank **Kairi1624**, **Crystal Nami**, **Craxuan**, **heartbrokensora**, and especially **RockCityRoadStar** for the reviews. **Kanie**,** bobmanv2.0**, and** heartbrokensora,** thanks for favoriting this story. Shout outs to **Mithrennon**, **RockCityRoadStar**, **Wushu**, **heartbrokensora**, and **darkrystalangel**. Make sure you guys check your email to be notified when updates come in. Once again, I thank you all. You guys rock!

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**Chapter IV**

"Come on Kairi. Don't make me drag you all over the place!"

It was your typical Thursday afternoon. Selphie decided to hit the mall to go costume shopping which meant that Kairi was coming along for the ride as well. Kairi didn't plan on buying anything but her mom figured it was best to get out of the house for a little bit. Selphie was currently standing next to the rack of costumes and was debating whether to get the vampire or mummy costume. She couldn't make up her mind. Knowing Selphie, she'd probably wear both.

"Hey Kairi. Do you think I should get the vampire or the mummy costume?" Selphie turned around but Kairi was no where in sight. "Oh, where'd she go?"

Actually, Kairi was on the other side of the department store sitting down. She was pretty tired from following Selphie around all afternoon as they jumped from store to store, rack to rack, and floor to floor. She stretched her legs out but her rest was abruptly ended by a loud yell.

"Kairi! Where are you?!" Selphie's voice boomed across the store and Kairi grabbed her ears and closed her eyes. _This is not good. _Shades of Selphie calling out to her at school that one day popped up in her mind.

She stood up and hurried over before something drastic happens. Selphie had a track record for disturbing the peace, being too loud, and a bit too rambunctious. One time, she was escorted out of an American Eagle retail store for being too disruptive. To this very day, Selphie still considered the incident a form of public service. 'If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have taken out those horrible looking blouses' was Selphie's excuse.

Kairi found Selphie in the exact spot where she had left her.

"Well, what do you think? Selphie held up both costumes and Kairi eyed each one intensively.

"Um…I'd go with the mummy one. The vampire costume is kind of scary."

"Scary?! Selphie jumped. "What are you talking about? It's supposed to be scary! This is Halloween for Pete's sake."

As a matter of fact, Kairi wasn't fond of scary and this was the reason why she didn't enjoy Halloween. She associated scary with dark and dark with that particular holiday. Therefore, October 31st was by far her least favorite day. She did like candy though and those little kids who rang her doorbell for treats were pretty adorable. If Kairi could, she would pinch their cheeks until they fell off.

"You know, Kairi. It's this Saturday and there's going to be this crazy festival and everything. We are so going and I need a scary costume."

Kairi gulped. She felt her knees buckle and she wanted to faint.

"Gee Selphie thanks, but no thanks. You know how I am with Halloween. Plus I don't have a costume."

Selphie returned the vampire costume and hooked her arm around Kairi's arm. She led the way to the register and paid for her costume.

"Kairi, don't worry. I already have the perfect costume for you all set."

Kairi lifted an eyebrow and wandered what Selphie was talking about. Once Selphie finished paying, she dragged Kairi to the next store.

"You're costume is in here," Selphie informed her. She led Kairi to the back of the store and there hanging before them was a princess costume complete with a crown and a mask. Selphie took it off the rack and examined it. She spun it around to make sure this was the exact costume she saw on the internet. Kairi just stood there marveling at it. The dress was a bright, beautiful pink color and didn't seem scary at all. Selphie handed it to her and told her to try it on. Kairi stepped into the fitting room and surprisingly it fit well. She turned around and inspected everything- the way the dress swayed when she turned, the way it shined, the way it looked. Kairi felt just like a real princess. She stepped out and Selphie gave her an approving nod.

"It looks so great on you Kairi! So now that you have a costume, you can go with me to the festival," Selphie mischievously grinned, "Sora will be there."

Kairi stopped dead in her tracks and her eyes widened. _Hook._

"I-I don't know Selphie. I just don't think I can."

Selphie nodded her head like she expected Kairi to turn down her offer. She pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. "Oh well, I guess it can't be helped but you might as well tell him yourself that you won't be coming." With that, she pointed to someone who was behind Kairi. She turned around and gasped. Sora was in the store as well, looking at a vampire costume. Kairi immediately tensed and to make matters worse, that blabbermouth Selphie called him over.

"Hey Sora!"

Sora turned around and noticed Selphie and Kairi. He walked over and greeted them. "Hey, are you guys costume shopping too?"

"Yup," Selphie answered. "I can't wait for the festival!"

"The one with the haunted house, right?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, that's the one! I am so excited for it."

"Yeah, me too. I love haunted houses. I haven't had a good scare in year." He clenched his fists and his grin widened. He turned his attention to Kairi who had her head down. Sora blushed. He had never seen Kairi in a dress even though he knew it was only a costume and he thought it looked rather lovely. He could only imagine what she'd look like in a real dress. "What about you? Are you going as well?"

Kairi lifted her head and slowly nodded. She stammered an "uh huh." _Line._

"That's great! I guess we could go together then?" Sora offered.

Sora's bright smile captivated Kairi and she couldn't stop nodding her head. She wanted to say no, but she couldn't muster enough sense to do so. _Sinker._

"Alright!" Selphie exclaimed. "This is going to be the _best_ Halloween ever!"

In the back of her mind, Kairi still couldn't believe she had said yes. This was going to be the _worst_ Halloween ever! Instead of staying home and handing out candy, she would be going to a haunted house and on top of that, she was really scared of haunted houses. She didn't want to ruin Sora's Halloween because of her fear. Her spirits sank and she wished that Halloween would just pass on by. She walked back into the fitting room and changed out of the costume. She shook her head the whole time, cursing herself for being so foolish and absent minded.

While Sora was paying for his costume, Selphie slipped out the store and pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Mother goose to preying falcon, do you read me? Over."

"Yes, this is _SILVER_ falcon. Over."

"Preying falcon. Silver falcon. Same diff. Any who, the egg has hatched. She took the bait. Hook, line and sinker. Over."

"Ok. Keep me updated. Over."

"Roger. Mother goose over and out."

Selphie broke the communication and headed back inside to wait for Kairi.

Kairi stood in line to pay and her thoughts were racing. First, she wanted to return the costume and walk out of the store. Secondly, Sora was going so maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Selphie would be there as well. _Why couldn't I have thought this over?_ She turned head and eyed the rack. _Maybe I should just tell them I can't go._

"Excuse me, miss. I can help you down here."

Kairi immediately turned back around and she noticed she was next in line. She strolled over the register where she was greeted by a woman named Tifa.

"Did you find everything ok?"

Kairi nodded her head.

"This will come out to 25 munny. Will you be paying with cash, credit, or check?"

Kairi dismissed her thoughts of Saturday and smiled at the woman. _It's now or never._ Kairi felt her heart jump up her throat. This was it.

"Cash," she replied, holding the –sh sound. She thought of not wanting to buy the costume for the final time but the deal was done.

Tifa took the money and printed the receipt. She handed it to Kairi. "Thanks. Have a nice day."

Kairi signed and gripped the handle of her bag and walked out the store. She had her head down and once again felt guilty that she couldn't say no. Selphie pulled up next to her, her smile still plastered on her face. "This is going to be the best yet, Kairi. I feel it."

Kairi couldn't help but smile a bit. She knew she had until Saturday to ready herself to brave the scariest day in the whole wide world.

"Uh…Selphie? Where did Sora go?"

"Sora? Oh yeah, he left to meet up with Riku at the food court."

It was already 6 o'clock so Selphie and Kairi decided it was best to go home. Selphie phoned her mom to tell to come and pick them up.

"Yeah, thanks mom. Bye."

"What did she say?" Kairi inquired.

"She'll be here in a little bit. I told her to meet us at the entrance."

Selphie and Kairi headed out and met up with Riku and Sora who looked like they were ready to head home as well. Sora strapped on his helmet and Riku adjusted his bag so he wouldn't lose it while skateboarding home.

"Hey!" Riku greeted. "You guys ready for Halloween?"

"I know Kairi is," Selphie teased. "We're all going to the haunted house right?"

"Of course," Sora replied. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Kairi put her head down. She wanted to tell Sora _and _Selphie that she didn't want to go but now she had to tell Riku also. This bummed Kairi out.

"Hey Riku, what costume did you get?" Selphie asked.

Riku smiled and pulled out his costume from his bag. "I'm going to be a warlock." His costume was black, as black as black could ever get (think Organization XIII clothing). However, there was one small detail that made the whole costume stand out. It was the blood red cape.

"That is one cool costume," Selphie complimented. "You'd look really scary in it."

"Yeah, the best part is, this costume covers my whole body from head to toe and this cape looks like something out of a horror film."

Soon a car horn was heard and Selphie's mom pulled up next to the curb. Selphie and Kairi bade the two boys farewell before stepping into the van. Sora and Riku waved them off before racing their way home.

Kairi was dropped off first and she retreated up into her room. She threw herself on the bed and almost began to cry. She didn't want to go. Selphie knew that she was scared of the dark so why did she pressure her to go? Kairi wiped her eyes and buried her head in her pillow. She pulled out her diary and began to write her thoughts down. Everything she was thinking was written down. She drew a line between all the excuses she could use to try to get out of this jam and the benefits of going, if there was one, on the other side. She looked at her list and it was clear that the cons of going to the festival outweighed the potential benefits. Still she felt that if she didn't go, she would let everyone down. Sora seemed so stoked to go. Selphie was always down to do anything and Riku could hardly wait to throw on his cape.

"Kairi it's time for dinner," her mother called.

Kairi went downstairs and grabbed a plate. She threw the fish fillet on it and began to eat it. Her mom immediately noticed her eeriness. She turned her head to the calendar that was hanging on the opposite wall and scratched her head.

"Hunny, are you ok?"

"Yeah…I'm fine mom." Kairi sighed and tapped her food lightly with her fork.

"By any chance, does this have to do with Halloween being only two days away? I know you don't like it but you can't keep letting it bring you down year after year. It's not a healthy habit."

"I know but it's just that Selphie talked me into going to the festival with her. There's going to be this haunted house and I just know Selphie will want to go in there."

Kairi's mom laughed. "That sounds a lot like her alright. But don't let it bug you. Just go and have fun. You'll thank me later."

_Great. There's goes the 'you'll thank me later' thing. What does that mean anyway? _

Kairi sighed and looked back at her mom. "But what about you? Are you going to be here by yourself?"

"Don't worry about me, dear. I'll just hand out candy to the kids. They always look so cute in their costumes!" her mom cooed. "Speaking of costumes, do you have one yet?"

Kairi nodded her head. "Selphie picked out a princess one for me."

"Oh, that's nice of her. I swear you were always hard to go costume shopping for. Remember when you were in the third grade and you dressed up as a tomato?"

"Mom, that was for the school play. Remember?"

"Oh right. I'm getting old now, hunny. I don't remember these things," her mom laughed.

'I was a pumpkin' Kairi mouthed to herself. However that wasn't the worst costume she had to wear. About two years ago Selphie forced her to dress up as a Princess Leia, hair and all. Selphie dressed up as Darth Vader and their old friends, Cloud and Leon dressed up as Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca, respectively. The costume didn't work out well for dear Kairi. Her hair wasn't long enough to create those buns and she kept tripping over her dress. Worst of all, Cloud tried so many times to make a move on her. He tried pickup line after pickup line. When all had failed, he even had the nerve to quote the movie.

"I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you."

Kairi wasn't a big Star Wars fan but knew exactly what the real Princess Leia said, "You're who?"

Cloud hung his head. That sure shut him up especially when Leon restrained him in a deathly bear hug.

Kairi laughed at the memory and finished her dinner. She went back upstairs and hung her costume. She got ready for bed and prayed that Saturday wouldn't be hell. Little did she know what was in store…

* * *

Hey **heartbrokensora**, guess what? Another cliffhanger for you. I hate torturing you but I just had too. The big Halloween chapter is coming up next.

Don't forget to review!

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	6. Chapter V

I'm free! School's out! Heck yeah!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or _The Little Mermaid _or Spiderman.

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**Chapter V**

The next day of school was hustlin' and bustlin'. Halloween was one day away. Talk about the festival was the main topic on everyone's minds and last year's tales of its horror and excitement spread faster than the bubonic plague. Those orange flyers were posted everywhere so everyone was notified. Every bulletin board, school publication, and even the school ticker bar advertised the event. Last year's festival was great; this year's promised to be even better and was hyped accordingly. Day by day, the talks grew and more and more people decided to check it out. By the looks of it, everyone seemed to going except for one person.

"Hey Kairi," Sora said as he sat down next to her in chemistry class. "Are you excited for the festival?"

Kairi gave him a weak smile. She still wanted to bail out but decided against it. As a matter of fact, Kairi had never been in a haunted house before. She was pretty scared though, she had to admit, but the assurance that Sora and Selphie and Riku would be there, lessened her worries.

"Are you busy during lunch?" Sora asked her.

"No, why?"

"I was just thinking that if we were going as a group we'd meet up at lunch and talk this out, like where we're going to meet up and stuff. Oh, Tidus and Wakka are coming along as well."

Kairi nodded her head in agreement and turned her attention back to the lecture.

Finally the bell rang and students were dismissed. Kairi hung up her lab apron and headed to lunch. She met up with Selphie who was sitting down already eating her food. Kairi sat down next to her and took out her sack lunch.

"Hey Kairi, did Sora tell you that we had to meet today?"

"Yeah, he did."

Sora and Riku sat down next to them and Wakka and Tidus joined shortly after. Riku took a bite of his sandwich and Tidus opened up his soda can.

"Alright guys. So how are we going to do this thing?" Sora asked.

"I know, we could all meet at my house since I live the closest to where the festival is going to be at, ya," Wakka offered. The festival was held in the closed off section of Destiny Islands over by the rural part of city. It was the perfect location. It was far from bright lights and distant from homes and public places. You could practically scream your heart out and no one would be able to hear you for miles. Construction of the haunted house began a month ago and according to rumors and the news, it was already completed.

"Sounds good. So I guess that takes us to our second problem." Sora looked around the table before continuing. "How are we going to get there?"

"Ah, good question," Tidus sarcastically remarked. He rubbed his chin and put on a hapless grin.

"It's only ten to fifteen minutes away," informed Selphie. "Since there are six of us, I can have my mom drop us off in the van. It holds six seats so it's perfect. We could all meet at my house instead. It'll be easier that way, I think."

"Your mom would really do that?" asked Tidus. "That's awesome. Your mom is so cool."

Selphie smiled. She was so ready to go and a little problem like transportation wouldn't hold her back. She dug into her dessert and Riku started talking again.

"I guess we're good to go and this leaves only one thing to mention. The haunted house is a maze type format. So we have to figure out who's going with whom."

"I call Wakka," Tidus said and he gave his orange haired friend a high five. These two were peas in a pod, birds of the same feather, peanut butter and jelly, mashed potatoes and gravy. They did everything together, practically. They were best friends for as long as anyone could remember. They were both band members, stars on the blitzball team, and even co-workers at the local videogame store but this was the first time they didn't have the same class schedule.

Selphie eyed Kairi and decided to answer on her behalf, "I think Kairi wants to go with Sora."

Kairi blushed and turned her head to her food. She took a giant bite out of apple and tried to make it seem that she didn't hear what Selphie said.

"I guess that leaves me with Selphie then," Riku said, pointing out the obvious.

"Alright, so I'm going with Kairi," Sora said with a smug look on his face. "Don't forget guys, we're meeting at Selphie's house."

The bell rang and the group split up to go to their respected classes.

At three o'clock the final bell rang and Selphie and Kairi walked home. Tidus and Wakka went to Scrooge's and Riku and Sora decided to hit the skate park. Kairi opened the front door and went upstairs. She let her bag slip onto the floor and she took a seat at the side of her bed. Her closet was open and she looked at her costume. _I hope Saturday goes well. _

-KH-

Saturday morning finally came and Kairi woke up to the sun shining on her face. She threw off her blanket and got out of bed. The festival was scheduled for six o'clock tonight. Kairi peered over at her clock and it read '9:30.' She yawned and headed downstairs. On top the kitchen table was a note her mom left and it read: _Kairi, I went out to buy some candy for tonight. I'll be back later. There are leftovers from last night in the fridge in case you get hungry. –Mom_

Kairi opened the cupboard and pulled out the cereal. She poured it into a bowl and doused it with milk. She grabbed a spoon and plopped down on the couch. Kairi turned on the TV and decided to watch some cartoons. Disney's _Little Mermaid_, one of our redhead's favorite shows, was on so she decided to watch it. Sebastian was one of Kairi's all-time favorite characters. His Jamacian accent always made her laugh and the way Ariel and Flouder ignored him half the time always provided more comic relief. Oh, she thought Flounder was cute, too. Soon the episode finished and so was Kairi's breakfast. She washed her bowl and spoon and went back to watch more shows. Her mom came home a few hours later with three grocery bags full of candy.

"I can't believe they almost ran out of gummy bears," her mom said as she threw open the door. "Back in my day, gummy bears were the greatest candies ever made. No one really liked the yellow ones but I loved them all."

Kairi giggled a bit. Her mom acted so much like a kid at times and it was so funny. Her mom grasped the gummy bear package and slipped it in her bag.

"Aren't those for the kids, mom?"

"No, this one's for me. I have other candies for them," her mom replied. She opened the rest of the bags and pulled out bags of chocolate bars, lollipops, and the rest of her goodies. Kairi shook her head. She figured all this candy was enough to last Selphie for a whole year or at least, six months.

Soon it was five o'clock. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was dyed in orange, yellow, and red. Kairi got ready to go and she hopped into the shower. She finished after fifteen/twenty minutes and dried her hair. She slipped into her princess costume and slipped the mask over her eyes. Lastly, she placed the tiara on her head. She spun around and danced in front of the mirror marveling at how well the costume looked on her. Afterwards, she went downstairs and told her mom goodbye before walking across the street to Selphie's house. Kairi knocked on the door and the head of a mummy popped out. Kairi, startled, jumped back. She didn't expect a mummy to answer the door. Selphie laughed and opened the door and let her in. She was just putting the final touches on her costume.

"I got you good Kairi and I wasn't even planning it," Selphie laughed.

"Well, whatever. Just wait until tonight. I'll get you back," Kairi answered back.

"You sound confident for someone who didn't want to come in the first place," Selphie teased.

Kairi felt a sweat drop and wished she could take back what she had said. She almost forgot about the haunted house and if she was frightened by her best friend in broad daylight just imagine how bad it would be in a few hours.

Sora was next to show up since he lived on the same street a few houses down. He was dressed in his vampire costume. It was skin tight and his muscles shown through. He had red food coloring smeared on the side of his mouth to indicate blood and the upper part of his face was covered by a black mask. He looked pretty scary but Kairi did her best not to cower. 'He actually looks good in black' Kairi thought. She tried to look away but occasionally stole glances at him every now and then. Black was sexy and since Sora was dressed in black…well you get the picture.

Riku, Tidus, and Wakka arrived shortly thereafter. Riku was in his warlock costume. That red cape really did bring out the best in that costume. Tidus was dressed as a goblin (think green goblin in Spiderman) and Wakka made a pretty good werewolf.

Everyone had monster costumes except for Kairi. She looked like she'd stick out like a sore thumb.

"Are you all ready to go?" Selphie's mom asked. "Oh my, a princess. It's an honor." She bowed before Kairi.

"Mom, stop messing around. Let's go," Selphie replied.

"Let's head to the van then."

They walked outside and Selphie's mom backed the van into the driveway so they could get in. Selphie sat shotgun. Sora and Kairi sat in the two seats in the middle and Tidus, Wakka, and Riku were squeezed in the back.

"Ouch brudda, stop kicking me."

"Sorry, Wakka but Riku here keeps pushing me."

"Tidus! Get your hand off my leg! NOW!"

They reached their destination after fifteen minutes of driving. Selphie's mom dropped them off by the main entrance then drove away. The group walked in and noticed that the fairgrounds were already populated. Kids dressed as pirates, zombies, knights, and even superheroes were running around everywhere. One kid dressed as Spiderman ran up and tangled Tidus in silly string. 'Crud, this is what I get for being a goblin,' Tidus thought as he was held back by Riku from attacking the kid. Selphie, Kairi, Sora, Tidus, Riku, and Wakka snaked their way past them and ended at the foot of the haunted house. There was a sign hanging from the door which read: _Open at 8:00pm_

"Aww man, looks like it is still too early," whined Selphie.

"Hey, it's okay," Tidus said. "We can go play games or something. I want some candy." In reality, he wanted to teach that kid some manners.

They turned back and began to play games. Tidus and Wakka went head to head at the basketball shooting game. Sora and Kairi tested their luck at the dime pitch game where you had to flip a dime onto a board and if it landed on a particular spot, you'd win. Selphie was munching down on the enormous amount of candy she had won. Soon the final rays of the sun were tucked behind the clouds and it was getting dark. The moon was in full view tonight.

"Hey, Wakka. Aren't you going to howl at the moon?" Tidus joked causing everyone except Wakka to laugh.

"Very funny brudda," replied Wakka. He crossed his arms and scowled a little bit.

Orange, yellow, and red lights came to life around the festival and a voice was heard over the PA system. _The haunted house is now open._

Selphie squealed and jumped up in excitement. She grabbed Riku's arm and hurried him along.

"Come on, Riku. I don't want to miss this."

Riku pulled his hood over his head and laughed menacingly, "At long last."

Kairi tightened up and gulped. Riku was really scaring her now and all of a sudden what little confidence she had, left her. Tidus and Wakka raced to the haunted house leaving Kairi and Sora behind. Sora stood next to Kairi and clasped a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's time to go."

Kairi followed Sora up the steps and into the haunted house. In her head, she imaged funeral music playing. The lights were still turned on as the group stepped into the foyer. Kairi looked around and noticed that it looked just like your everyday, normal house. It had a grand piano on one side on of the room. Across the room were couches and a coffee table. There was a fireplace as well and a chandelier hung above them. Two men stepped in from behind them. One looked to be in his mid fifties and wore a pair of goggles over his forehead. He also had a utility belt fastened around his waist. The other guy was dressed in black. He had fiery red hair and green eyes.

"Welcome the haunted house," greeted the man with the goggles. He grunted and twirled the toothpick in his mouth. "I'm Cid and my friend over there...is Axel." Cid pointed in Axel's direction and the fiery red head lifted his hand.

"Well then, as you all should know, this haunted house is a big maze and to make sure you don't get lost, you'll be given this glow-in-the-dark band. That way you'll be seen by others and you won't run into anyone. Also, if you get lost, it will be easier to find you."

Axel laughed and everyone turned in his direction. "I hope you guys like to get scared because this going to be one heck of a ride. You'll be given 45 minutes to navigate your way out of the maze. If you don't come out -alive- we'll have to come after you. Got it memorized?"

The kids nodded their heads and Kairi felt her heart jump out of chest. Images of getting trapped and being alone flooded her mind. 'This is not going to be good' she thought.

"Alright then," Cid said. "If you are ready you may proceed through the next door." He pivoted out of the way and pointed to the brown colored door on the opposite side of the room. "Oh and before I forget, there will be markers on the floor illuminating the way for you. So, you won't be surrounded in total darkness."

"Be warned though," Axel took over, "not all markers will lead you out of here…ALIVE." Axel smirked and pulled his hood over his head.

With that, the two men exited the room. The brown door mystically opened to show a pitch black room. The lights in the foyer dimmed and soon the people started to make their way into the next room. Tidus and Wakka led the way. Selphie and Riku were a step behind them. Ghostly music began to play. The room began to get smoky and it became colder all of a sudden. Kairi turned around and the front door suddenly closed with a loud bang and it sounded like it was being locked from the outside. The windows were bolted shut and the blinds were drawn. A witch's laughter could be heard from the overhead speakers. Soon the lights were cut and Sora and Kairi were standing in total darkness. The witch's cold, terrifying scream made Kairi jump. The red floor markers lit up and the bands started to glow. Sora took a step forward to enter to the next room but was suddenly stopped.

"S-So-Sora, don't l-leave me," Kairi whimpered as she instinctively grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Hey, are you okay, Kairi?" Sora turned back around and put his hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"I-I'm just kind of scared," Kairi responded. She shut her eyes and prayed that this nightmare would be over.

"Me too, but I'm more excited than scared."

Kairi moved closer to Sora and she clutched his arm tighter. Sora immediately blushed but turned his turned his attention to the task ahead. He squinted his eyes to try to adjust to the darkness. He followed the red markers into the next room and entered the maze.

-KH-

"Aww man, not again," Selphie complained. She and Riku had walked into another dead end. She shrieked when she felt something rub against her arm. She ducked behind Riku.

"It's just a spider web, Selphie. It's nothing to get so worked up over."

"Well, it just surprised me," she stated. She stuck her tongue out.

"Man, I wonder how the guys are doing," Riku said as he turned back around and traced his steps back to the fork in the maze.

"I'm pretty sure Tidus and Wakka are fine. They're pretty far ahead."

Another scream and shout could be heard. The sound of an owl hooting was heard from the speakers. "I just hope Kairi is okay."

"I'm sure she is. She's with Sora, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm still worried a bit. Kairi really doesn't like the dark. I hope this doesn't traumatize her."

"I don't think it will. This was a great idea to get Sora and Kairi to hook up together. Kairi will be really scared and Sora will have to comfort her. This was a good plan, Selphie. You did the right thing."

"It sure doesn't feel like it," Selphie mouthed to herself.

Suddenly, an ogre popped out behind the wall and sent Riku and Selphie running, screaming, and shouting.

"Hahaha, this is the best maze ever," Riku yelled once he caught his breath.

-KH-

Falling farther behind, Sora and Kairi had just entered the maze. The walk way was really narrow and more ghostly music continued playing. Sora led the way, using the markers as guides. Kairi's hand was still handcuffed to Sora's wrist. She kept her head down to avoid getting surprised by anything. Sora suddenly stopped and Kairi ran into his back.

"Left of right?" Sora asked.

Kairi rubbed her nose and looked in both directions. She couldn't see a thing.

"Let's go right," she answered. But just as they were about to do so, a zombie appeared. Kairi shrieked and Sora grabbed her wrist and ran in the other direction.

Soon Sora stopped running and Kairi fell to her knees, exhausted. Sora put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.

"So much for going right," Sora said in between breaths. "Do you think we lost him?"

Kairi turned around and the zombie was nowhere in sight. "I guess. I don't see him."

Too bad she was wrong. The zombie suddenly caught up to them and stretched his arms out. Kairi screamed again and this time she jumped on Sora's back. Sora almost fell forward but used this push to gain momentum to try and outrun the living dead. He made a sharp left turn and ended up at another fork, the same fork where Selphie and Riku got lost earlier. Sora ran straight ahead, ignoring the four other paths. He suddenly put on the breaks just before he hit the wall. 'Dang. A dead end' he mouthed to himself. By this time, he figured, the zombie wasn't following them anymore. It has done its job, scaring them off the right path. Sora slid Kairi off his back and fell down. He was exhausted. His back was numb and his breathing was twice as heavy as before. He leaned on the wall and closed his eyes. A crash of thunder followed by a loud bang sounded, causing Kairi to jump into Sora's arms and bury her face in his chest. Sora's eyes widened and he didn't know what to do. Kairi started crying and Sora did the only thing he could do. He slowly and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. The darkness did one thing right so far: hide Sora's blush. Kairi began to shake as Sora felt Kairi's breathing and heart race quicken. Sora whispered something in ear to try to calm her down but to no avail.

"Sora. I'm really scared. I want to go home," Kairi sobbed. Her tears continued streaming down her face onto Sora's shoulder.

"Shhh," was all Sora could say. He rested his chin on the top of Kairi's head. "It will be fine now. I'm here."

Sora slowly stood after a few minutes of rest. Kairi clinged onto Sora's arm while her other arm wrapped around his waist. She felt totally helpless and hung on to Sora tighter for dear life. Sora walked back to the fork and decided to go left.

"You've got to be kidding me! Another dead end?! Argh!" Sora yelled out.

-KH-

Selphie and Riku finally made it out with a good ten minutes to spare. Cid and Axel congratulated them on getting out...alive. Tidus and Wakka stood up from the bench and ran up to meet them.

"Took you guys long enough," Tidus remarked.

"Well, we got lost at the fork," Selphie stated. "We ran into so many dead ends and an ogre almost got us."

"How did you guys get out so fast?" Riku asked.

"It was easy, brudda," Wakka said pounding his chest. "We were able to get out of that fork in one try."

"Yeah, we played bloody knuckles to figure out which way we should go," Tidus explained, "Wakka won because he _accidentally_ punched me in the gut."

"I'm sorry brudda. I couldn't see. It was dark ya know," Wakka said as he threw his hands in the air. "Do you know if Sora and Kairi got out yet? I didn't see them in there."

"I think they're still in there," Riku stated.

"Well they had better hurry up. They have ten minutes. If not, we have to go in there and fish them out. Chances are, they're probably dead," Axel bluntly stated.

Selphie whacked him upside the head with Riku's wand. "If you keep saying that, you'll be the one who'll be dead," Selphie said glaring daggers at him.

"Relax," Cid said. "I'm sure they are fine. I just heard from one of the zombies that he came into contact with a vampire and a princess. I'm guessing they're your friends."

"Yeah, they sure are," Riku said.

"They're almost out then," Cid concluded.

-KH-

"Hey Kairi, I think I see the exit."

Kairi wiped her eyes and there before them was a door. Sora opened it and stepped through. The room was just as dark as the previous room and Kairi hoped this wasn't another maze. Sora followed the floor markings and it led him to another door. This time, light shown through the bottom of the door and Sora could feel a gust of wind breeze through.

"We made it Kairi. On the other side of this door is freedom," Sora said jokingly. "We made it."

Kairi smiled brightly for the first time this week.

"I think you'd better let go of me now. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea," Sora laughed.

Kairi blushed and immediately took her hands off Sora. 'Right when I started getting comfortable' Kairi thought.Sora opened the door and was greeted by the full moon.

The group ran up to them. Selphie hugged Kairi. Sora exchanged high fives with the guys and gave them a thumbs up.

"You made it Kairi," Selphie exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kairi answered her.

"So how was it?" Selphie grinned and leaned in closer. She didn't want to miss a single detail.

Kairi smiled for a moment as she was reminded of Sora. She shook her head and replied, "It was fine. We ran into a few dead ends and into this crazy zombie. It was ok."

Cid and Axel smirked. Who would have thought this maze would have been this successful. This had to be the biggest and best haunted house Destiny Island's ever seen. Next year, somehow and someway, had to be better.

A few hours later, Kairi was back at home. She took off her costume and changed into her jammies. She pulled the covers over her body and recalled the events that happened only a few hours ago. She smiled as she remembered clinging onto to Sora for dear life. She felt her cheeks get hot but she smiled, knowing that Sora was a friend who would never leave her. She drifted off to sleep recalling the words Sora whispered to her back at the maze. _It will be fine now. I'm here._

* * *

This so far, is my favorite chapter to write, not because of the fluffy scenes but because I got to write about the haunted house and stuff.

DJ D-Myx: BOO!

Me: Nice try.

Don't forget to review.

**Preview for the next chapter:**

"**Right. Ok." Sora took a deep breath but it still didn't help his speech. His words flew all over the place and it came out as one big mumbo jumbo. In short, he said it too fast. "Ifyoulookedinamirrorandheldup12rosesyou'dsee11ofthemostbeautifulthingsintheworld."**

"**Huh? What did you just say?" Kairi asked with a confused look on her face.**

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	7. Chapter VI

DJ D-Myx: Spooky did not, does not, and will not own Kingdom Hearts as long as I live.

Me: Ouch man. A guy can dream right?

DJ D-Myx: …Nope.

* * *

**Chapter VI**

"It's been month since the-you-know-what and it seems that Sora and Kairi have taken a liking to one another," Selphie happily told Riku on the way to class. "Too bad they won't admit it though."

It was true. Sora and Kairi hung out move often- Selphie included. There was no way she was going to miss anything. Lunch hours were spent hanging out with the group, talking about whatever or laughing about why Mr. Ansem's eyes were yellow-colored. Tidus thought it was due to cancer. Wakka's answer was just as ridiculous- yellow contact lenses. After school, Sora and Kairi (it's implied that Selphie came along) normally went to Scrooge's but the weekends was when Sora and Kairi spent the most time together, after homework was finished of course. They normally went to the mall (Sora would ditch her every now and then to go the arcade), the skate park where Kairi would try her hand at it but she couldn't balance correctly, and the beach. Still, Selphie believed they didn't realize their TRUE feelings. _They're still teetering between being a couple or not._

"Well, now what?" Riku asked. He leaned against his locker and looked at Selphie. "They still haven't made up their mind yet. Are they an item or not?"

"I know but stuff like this takes time. They'll come around. I just know it," Selphie optimistically answered.

"Yeah? And when is this going to happen?" Riku sarcastically asked.

"Patience, my friend. Sometimes a little pressure is needed to create a pearl."

"Did you have something in mind?"

"Aren't you a little question-happy today but yes, I do have another brilliant plan!"

Selphie cracked her knuckles and dug into her backpack. She pulled out a pad of notebook paper and on it were some diagrams.

"Is this it?" Riku questioned.

"It is. These are the rest of my brilliant plans. Phase one has already been completed and phase two is nearly underway." Because Sora and Kairi hung around each other more often, it was the perfect opportunity for Selphie to hatch her next plan. This has worked out too well and Selphie couldn't help but marvel at her good fortune. All the pieces were falling into place. All she had to do was to capitalize on this opportunity. She pulled out a white paper from her pocket and unfolded it. It was an advertisement for the Winter Formal Dance that was coming up in two weeks.

Riku nodded his head in understanding. He had an idea already what Selphie was planning- get Sora to ask Kairi to the dance. It was rather simple but Riku knew better. Nothing was simple when it came to Selphie's plans.

"All we need to do is to get Sora to ask Kairi to the dance," Selphie stated.

"How are we going to do that, exactly?"

"It's simple. During lunch we'll bring the topic up."

"Uh huh. Problem is…Sora won't bite. I know for certain that he won't go if he's not going with anybody. I also know that dances aren't this forte."

"I figured. So that's why I'm going through Kairi. If I can get her to go, Sora will have to go as well."

"Uh huh," Riku hummed.

"This is where you come in, Riku. I need you to persuade Sora to ask Kairi."

Riku had a quizzical look on his face.

"Think of it this way. Kairi won't have anyone to go with, right?" Riku nodded his head. "So just tell Sora to ask Kairi and they can go as _friends._ I'm sure Sora won't let Kairi go the dance with someone else, let alone by herself."

Riku thought this through for a moment. He reasoned though every step of the plan and tried to anticipate what Sora might say. He nodded his head, shook it a few times and smirked. "Leave everything to me."

-KH-

Lunch finally came and Selphie and Riku set out to put their plan into action. Sora and Kairi were sitting at a table and were laughing about something. Wakka and Tidus joined them. Riku gave Selphie a small smile before taking a seat next to his best friend.

"Hey guys," Selphie said as she put her tray down and sat next to Kairi.

"What's up, brudda?" Wakka greeted.

"Did you guys hear about the Winter Formal Dance that's coming up?"

"Yeah. But I don't think I'm going to go. I'm not big on dances anyways," Sora replied. Riku crossed his arms and sent an 'I-told-you-so' look towards Selphie. He knew Sora was going to say this.

Selphie stuck her tongue out at Riku "What about you Kairi?" She turned her attention to the red head.

"It sounds fun. I've never been to that dance before. I think I might want to go."

Selphie grinned. The initializing phase went according to plan. Sora wouldn't bite; Kairi would bite. It was perfect.

"I don't have anyone to go with though," Kairi soon realized. She looked around the table hoping that someone would ask her.

"You're not going with Riku," Selphie cut in. "I'm going with him. I'm sure you'll be able to find someone."

"Oh. Okay," Kairi replied. "Tidus? Wakka?"

"I'm really sorry, Kairi but I'm planning to ask Yuna," Tidus replied.

"Me too," Wakka said. "But uh…I'm not going to ask Yuna, ya know. I'm going to ask Lulu."

Kairi glanced toward Sora but she remembered that he wasn't big on dances. She frowned a bit and finished eating her food.

Riku couldn't believe that just happened. The plan was for Kairi and Sora to go together, not Riku and Selphie. Riku motioned to Selphie and the two headed out of the cafeteria.

"What was that all about?" Riku demanded. "This wasn't part of the plan!"

"What are you talking about? There is no way I'm missing out on Kairi and Sora's first dance."

"But did you have to drag me into it? You didn't even ask me!"

"Oh, pipe down. I was just doing this to trim down the playing field. I don't want Kairi to go with anyone but Sora. And besides, you're going and that's final!"

This, my friend, is why Selphie's plans are never simple. Riku scratched his head. He didn't know Selphie was this scary. He brushed his hand through his silver hair. "Fine. Have it your way."

Selphie squealed as she headed back to the table.

'Now, how to get Sora alone…' thought Riku.

-KH-

On one of the days Sora wasn't with Kairi, Riku used this rare opportunity to confront him.

"Hey Sora. You ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"You know, the dance."

"I told you man, I'm not going."

"But Kairi is."

"And your point is…?"

"She isn't going with anyone and you're not going with anyone. So why not go together?"

"Dude, you make it seem like I'm going."

"Like you have a choice?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. He still didn't know what Riku was talking about. Evidently, Sora felt this had something more to do than just a silly school dance. _O divine art of subtlety and secrecy!_

"I'll put it this way. Remember last Halloween?" Sora thought back for a moment and remembered Kairi hanging on to his arm for dear life.

"To tell you the truth," Riku continued, "she didn't want to go because she hated Halloween. She only went because you were going." _The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy._

Sora dropped his head and began to feel guilty. _I didn't know._ He closed his eyes for a second to gather his thoughts. Riku saw his friend struggle. He saw Sora's guilt.

'In fighting the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory' Riku deliberated. While Selphie forced things onto people, he preferred the art of persuasion and psychology. He called it the 'ability to accomplish a thing by sheer cunning'. He let the silence marinate a bit before putting the nail in the coffin.

"Personally, if I were in your situation, I'd ask Kairi to the dance. After all, it does seem like you owe her in a way."

As if Sora had enough to think about, Riku again nailed him with another thought.

"She sacrificed her well-being because she wanted you to have fun that night. It's only fair you do the same for her," Riku deduced. _If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. _

Now a whirlwind of thoughts were spiraling in Sora's head. He couldn't think clearly. His thoughts were disorganized and he didn't know what to do. 'Sink or swim, Sora. Sink or swim,' his conscience cried out. He began to sweat and his heart pounded. Sora immediately felt something hit him square in the chest as he fought to maintain his balance. He abruptly opened his eyes and looked at Riku.

'Time for the dagger' thought Riku. "Well, Sora? Are you coming?" _Attack him when he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected._

The pressure was definitely on Sora now. He turned around and looked up at the sky. A flock of sea gulls flew overhead. He had hoped Riku would drop the subject but instead he pressed on. He had Sora in a headlock and wouldn't let go. Sora tried to refocus his thoughts and piece some logical sense together. It had failed. Disturbed and distressed, Sora gave in.

"I guess…I'm going."

'Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance' recited Riku. "So when are you going to ask her?"

"Whoa! Ask h-her?! Sora stammered.

"Yeah. The guys have to ask the girls, remember?"

"Oh, right. I…kind of…forgot?"

"Well it's a good thing I came along and reminded you before someone else asked her."

'Someone else…ask Kairi?' Sora thought. "Oh snaps, I have to ask her quick." With that Sora took off on his skateboard and raced home as fast as he could.

"Check and mate," Riku smirked.

-KH-

Sora couldn't sleep that night. He was nervous, alright. Nervous to ask the one girl he had fallen for to the dance. Sora never had problems asking Kairi if she wanted to go with him to Scrooge's or asking her for math homework help. But this was entirely different.

_How do I ask her out to the dance?_

He tossed and turned under his covers. He turned on his side and rested his head on his arm. This was going to be harder than he thought.

_Maybe I can just straight out say it. 'Hey Kairi would you like to go to the dance with me?' Or what about 'Since you're not going with anyone and I'm not going with anyone, why don't we go together?' What about 'Hey Kairi, would be so kind as to grace me with your presence and be my date to the dance?' _

Sora gave up on his pitiful attempts and tried to get back to sleep. He had one more idea though. _'__If you stood in front of a mirror and help up 11 roses, you would see 12 of the most beautiful things in the world._ _Would you like to go to the dance with me?'_

That was golden. Sora chuckled a bit before he pulled the covers over his head. _Riku would be so proud._

Tomorrow was going to be one heck of a day.

-KH-

Sora struggled to pay attention during Chemistry. Mr. Ansem's lecture appeared to just bounce off him. Thoughts of popping the 'big question' made his stomach churn and made his legs weak. He kept staring at the red-haired beauty that sat a few seats in front of him. Sora had to admit, she was a lot more interesting than how elements combined and decomposed. _Why can't we just be like elements and attract each other?_ Sora rested his head on his arms and continued staring. He prayed that everything would go well. Soon the bell rang and Sora slowly trudged out of the room. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and recited the question over and over and over again until he was confident enough to say it aloud. By now, the knots in Sora's stomach transformed into butterflies and he made a quick dash into the little boy's room. He jumped into a stall and sat down on top of the toilet. He buried his face in his hands and tried his best to calm down. He breathed heavily to allow more oxygen to enter his body and get to his brain. Once his vital signs returned to normal, he stepped out and walked into the cafeteria.

He spotted Kairi sitting alone at a table. Riku and Selphie were "standing by the soda machine" and Wakka and Tidus were seen hunting down their dates. Yes, Lulu and Yuna agreed to go with the two boys. Tidus was able to ask Yuna through a song. Wakka played hero after finding Lulu's lost moogle. Now, Sora was all that's left. He pulled up to the seat across from Kairi and cleared his throat. He pulled on his collar and fiddled with his thumbs. He turned to the oldest trick in the book to relieve nervousness. _Relax Sora, just imagine her in her underwear. _Soon the image of Kairi in her underwear flashed in Sora's mind. _Whoa! Bad, Sora, bad._

"Sora, are you ok? Are you sick?"

"No…I'm uh…perfectly fine," Sora stuttered. His face was red a tomato. He knew for sure this was going to be the last time he'd ever image someone in their underwear. Probably staying with conventional methods- biting finger nails, fidgeting, scratching, taping your fingers on the desk would be better.

Kairi smiled and turned her attention to her lunch which consisted of lasagna and vegetables.

"Hey, I was just wondering," Sora managed to say, "were you able to find a date for the dance?"

"No. Not yet," Kairi sadly stated.

"Well. I was just uh…wondering…you know…if you don't mind me asking…um…" Sora again cleared his throat.

Kairi looked up at him and laughed. "Are you alright? Just say it. I'm listening."

"Right. Ok." Sora took a deep breath but it still didn't help his speech. His words flew all over the place and it came out as one big mumbo jumbo. In short, he said it too fast. "Ifyoulookedina mirrorandheldup12rosesyou'dsee11ofthemostbeautifulthingsintheworld."

"Huh? What did you just say?" Kairi asked with a confused look on her face.

Sora soon realized his mistake. _Dope. I'm such an idiot. I can't even say a pick up line correctly. This is so embarrassing._ He mentally slapped himself.

"What he meant to say was 'If you looked in a mirror and held up _11 _roses, you'd see _12_ of the most beautiful things in the world,'" someone simply but eloquently corrected. _Have I taught him nothing?_

Kairi's head shot up. She had to admit, it was pretty good for a pick up line. She was just about to respond but the voice cut off her thoughts.

"He also wants to know if you would like to go to the dance with him."

Kairi turned around and saw Riku standing behind her. He smiled, open his soda can, and took a swig. Kairi turned back around to an embarrassed-looking Sora. His cheesy grin stretched across his bright pink face, his hand gripped the back of his neck. 'This is too cute' Kairi thought to herself.

"So…uh…what do you say?" Sora asked abashed.

Kairi smiled. "Yes. I'd love to go with you, Sora."

Sora, due to the blood rushing to his face, fainted at the good news.

-KH-

Kairi sat at Sora's bedside. She was worried that her friend had not woken up yet. She glanced at the clock. _He's been out for 30 minutes._ She gently shook him and placed her hand on his cheek. It was still warm. Kairi leaned back and studied her friend more intently. His breathing was slow and peaceful. She smiled. Sora looked just like a little kid when he is sleeping. She took the wet rag that was on his forehead and rung the water out. She re-soaked it and placed it back on his head. He shivered and Kairi again tried to wake him up.

_Sora. Sora. Can you hear me? Wake up._

Sora opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of complete darkness. He turned around but all he could see what blackness.

"Who's…who's there?" he yelled out.

No reply.

"I said 'who's there?'" Sora yelled out again.

This time a voice reached out and called him.

_Wake up Sora. Wake up._

At that moment Sora awoke to a blinding light. His eyes flickered open. Once he had regained all consciousness, he realized he was staring at the ceiling- a white ceiling, in fact. He slowly moved his arms and they slid off the bed. He jerked his head to the left and saw a white curtain. He looked to the right and there was a table with a vase full of yellow sunflowers. It finally occurred to him that he was lying down. He slowly got up and looked around at his surroundings. The door was open and Sora immediately recognized the blue-colored lockers. He was still at school. He pulled the covers off and was about to stand up.

"Sora! You're alright. Are you ok?" a voice Sora knew to be Kairi's, asked.

Sora turned to her. Her bright smile almost made Sora faint again. It was that enticing. "Yeah, I'm fine. What happened? What am I doing here?"

"You asked me to the dance- well actually Riku asked for you. You were struggling so much that Riku helped you out a bit. It was so cute," Kairi giggled.

Sora immediately remembered and scratched his head.

"I said 'yes' and then you fainted," she finished saying. "Riku had to carry you all the way here."

It also looked like Sora's sense of time came back to him. "What time is it?" he abruptly asked.

"A little past three."

"Ah, good to see that you're awake, Sora."

Sora turned his attention to the nurse. "I'm feeling a lot better thank you, Ms. Rinoa."

"That's good. You can go home now if you want."

"Thanks."

Kairi helped Sora out of bed and she threw his arm over her shoulder.

"You know Kairi. I don't have a broken leg. I can walk by myself."

"But you'll fall though. You still haven't fully recovered."

"I'll be fine. I promise. You can let go of me now."

Kairi nodded her head and slowly let go of Sora. Sora jumped up and down a little bit and checked to make sure all his body parts were present and accounted for. He stretched his legs and slowly began to start walking out the door. "See I'm perfectly fine."

"Ok then. I'll just walk you home. Then I have to go to the mall and buy a dress."

"Do you mind if I come with you since I have to get a tux or whatever?"

"No!" Kairi blurted out. "You're not supposed to see what I'm wearing. It's supposed to be a surprise. Besides, I don't know what color you have to match with."

"Wait! What? We have to match too?"

"Yes silly." Kairi giggled once again. "That way everyone will know that we're going _together_."

Sora almost fainted again. _Together. We're going together. Right. I knew that. Kairi and I are going together. T-O-G-E-T-H-E…oh man. _

"Hey are you ok?" Kairi asked with a concern look on her face. She moved closer to Sora and stood on her tip toes so that her eyes were level with Sora's. Sora, perturbed to this type of closeness, took a step back. Kairi giggled again. "Come on you bum."

Sora looked away. He couldn't stand being that close to Kairi. He felt his stomach tie itself into knots and his palms began to sweat. He wiped the sweat that was dripping down his brow. Kairi was that hot.

"You don't looks so well, Sora. You look red. Let's go. We better get you home," Kairi said as she grabbed his wrist and tugged him along.

Sora finally reached home and went straight to bed disregarding any homework or studying he planned for the evening. His head was still swirling and his legs were still wobbly. He hopped into bed and fell asleep.

* * *

This reminds me of the first time I went to a dance. I was almost as clueless as Sora. Good times.

Author note: During the Sora/Riku scene, I used quotes from Sun Tzu's _The Art of War._

Don't forget to review. Thanks for reading!

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	8. Chapter VII

Disclaimer: I don't own KH.

**Warning:** This is a filler chapter and it's totally useless. There's a preview for the next chapter at the bottom so since you guys are probably stressing out over final tests, (I know my brother isn't), and need to study now, you may want to scroll down to the bottom. But for those who wish to brave this chapter, feel free.

* * *

**Chapter VII**

"…and Riku was like 'If you looked in a mirror and held up 11roses, you'd see 12 of the most beautiful things in the world.'" You should have seen the look on Sora's face. It was priceless," Selphie said as she recalled the story to Wakka and Tidus.

"I can't believe he used a pick up line!" Tidus laughed out.

"I know. That's classic, ya know," Wakka said.

"Well speak of the devil," Riku said as Sora and Kairi made their way over to the table.

"Alright Sora. Good going man," congratulated Tidus as he slapped Sora on the shoulder. It was lunch time and everyone gathered around and talked about preparations for the dance.

"I can see it now." Tidus placed a hand on his chest and stretched his other hand toward Sora like one of those Shakespearean actors. "Sora and Kairi, hand-in-hand, dancing underneath the stars. The moon is out and the sky is clear…"

Wakka decided to butt in, "Oh yeah, brudda. And they stare each other in the eyes and Sora leans in to…OUCH!"

"Sorry, Wakka my hand slipped, ya know," Kairi playfully apologized.

"Aww, just when it was getting to the good part…" whined Selphie.

Riku looked over at Sora who was flooding out sweat. He laughed at his friend. "You know, Sora, you have to lighten up a bit. You're supposed to be having fun."

-KH-

School finally concluded for the day and Sora and Kairi (no Selphie this time) went to the mall. It was time for Sora to pick out a tux.

"I don't get why I couldn't go with you when you went dress shopping and now you're coming with me to go tux shopping. It doesn't any make sense."

"Sure it does," Kairi explained. "I have to make sure you get the right color and besides guys are known to be color blind."

"Riku, but not me," retorted Sora. "Besides, what color did you get?"

"Red."

"Red? That's pretty easy," Sora voiced out. "I don't know why you even bothered to come."

At this time, Kairi was getting pretty annoyed. She dragged Sora through the motion activated sliding doors and into the mall. Sora stood there, gaping. A giant glass dome was fixated above them letting extra light through. A water fountain stood in the center and little kids were dropping in coins and making wishes. Unsurprisingly, Selphie was hot on their trail. She tracked them down from school and followed them here. She dove behind a plant and pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Whoa, this place is huge," Sora declared. "Where to start…"

"See? This is why you need me. You have no idea where to go, do you?"

Sora shook his head. He never remembered the mall being this big. It had to be about four stories tall, at least, and about how ever many football fields wide.

Kairi led him to around the shoppers and into a part of the mall Sora had never been in before. Around every corner erected an old fashioned street light and a towering grandfather clock stood in the middle of each and every intersection giving it an antique, classic feel. She tugged on Sora's arm and they entered the department store.

"Excuse me, sir," Kairi said as she walked up to one of the employees. "Can you tell me where the men's tuxedos are located?"

"Why yes," the man in a suit and tie answered. He was strikingly tall, slim fit, and appeared to be in his thirties. His hair was slicked back, his smile warm and welcoming. He peered over Kairi's shoulder and looked at Sora. "The men's tuxedos are right this way. Please follow me."

The man ushered them past the men's cologne section, around sportswear, and into the formal section of the store. "All our best styles- Ralph Lauren, Geoffrey Beene, Imperial- are found here. I'm guessing this is for him."

Kairi nodded and moved out of the way and now Sora was in full view of the man. Sora turned his head several times and eyed a few tuxes before turning to the man.

"I see," the employee continued. "I'll just take down a few measurements here. Will you be renting or buying?"

"Renting," Sora answered.

The man pulled out his measuring tape and measured Sora's neck line, waist line, arm length, and leg length. "Is there a certain color you are looking for, sir?"

"Red," Sora answered.

The man turned around and pulled out a sample tux. It had a dark red tie, a red vest, black jacket, and black pants.

"Was this what you were looking for?"

Kairi shook her head. "Bright red please."

"Alright, no problem here." The man returned the tux and went to a different rack. He slid aside some other suits and finally came to the tuxedo he was searching for. It looked similar to the first item but the red was brighter and more appealing to the eyes.

"This is one of my personal favorites," the man said as he noted the smile of approval on Kairi's face, "and we're having a sale today so I can take 15 percent off this item."

The man slipped Sora into the dressing room and told him to try it on.

Sora came out and the man immediately walked up to him and measured his clothing. He took out a piece of chalk and made precise markings so the tailor knew specifically where to make the cuts or folds. He worked his way down to Sora's pants and fiddled with the bottom seams.

"Would you like to cuff the pants?"

Sora turned to Kairi and shrugged his shoulders.

"Um…could I get a look first," Kairi asked. The man stepped aside and Kairi took a good look at Sora. She looked down at his ankles and noticed the pants were a tad too long. She estimated that Sora's dress shoes would level off his height.

"Yes, please cuff them."

The man folded the bottom of Sora's pants and chalked them. Then he sent Sora back in to change and when he was done, the man folded them and sent them to the register. "Are you in need of shoes?" Sora shook his head.

"If you don't mind my asking, what do you mean by 'cuffing the pants?'"

Kairi immediately answered his question. "They fold the bottom of the pants so it won't be too long. It also looks more formal that way. Speaking of formal, we have to do your hair."

Sora combed his hair with his hand and tried to smother it flat but to no avail. His gravity-defying hair immediately stood up and refused to go back down.

Kairi giggled. _This is going to be tough._

The man printed the receipt and handed it to Sora. "Before I forget, the tux will be ready in three days so don't forget to pick it up." He bade them a goodnight and walked away to attend to another customer.

"Mother Goose to Preyin uh…whoops…I mean Silver Falcon, do you read me? Over."

"Silver Falcon here. Over."

"Sora just bought a tux and by the looks of it, Kairi will be wearing red, over." Selphie broke the communication and ducked into another store before Sora and Kairi spotted her. _That was too close._

-KH-

The rest of the week went rather slow in Sora's opinion. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes were just as long as hours, and hours made days seems like weeks. It was funny though, the week had only started. It was Monday where we lay our scene. Sora didn't mind. Unlike everyone else, he could wait until the dance. While everyone was going "ga-ga", Sora just stood there unfazed and unconcerned. Sora entered into his first class of the day, math. Today was scheduled for a test and Sora wasn't ready. Sure, he had done all the homework and took good notes but that can only take you so far. He didn't really like math- too much numbers and formulas to manipulate. Plus it was a geometry exam and of course, figures are not drawn to scale. _So much for a protractor._

He turned to Riku who was busily looking over his notes. He flipped through a few pages and took out his calculator. He crunched in a few numbers and hit enter. "83.35" it read. Riku smiled.

"Hey Riku," Sora interrupted. Riku turned to his spikey-haired friend.

"Are you ready for the test?"

"I guess. It's not so bad once you understand everything," Riku answered.

Unlike Sora, Riku actually did quite well in math. Sure he'd fall asleep in class every now and then but he understood the concepts quickly.

"I just want to get this test over with, you know?"

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Once this is over, I'm home free."

"Ok class," Ms. Aerith announced. "It's time for the test. Please clear your table and take out your pencils and calculator."

Sora looked over the test. He recognized a few problems and he started on those. Soon a few students finished and Sora looked up. He noticed that his whole row was empty. Only he and Riku remained. Sora turned the test over to finish the last problem. He remembered studying this type of problem with Kairi. Kairi wasn't in his math class but she was taking geometry also. Sora drew out the figure and labeled everything. He jotted down a formula and tried to figure out how to use it. In the meantime, Riku just finished the test and handed it into the teacher before walking out. He took a seat near the door and waited for Sora to finish. Sora got about halfway through, but by then, his brain was totally fried. He took a deep breath before continuing any further. He skipped a few steps but ended up with an answer. He looked it over and smiled. _This just might be right. It's less than 180 so it has to be right, right?_

He gathered all his papers and stapled them together. He handed in his exam to Ms. Aerith and he and Riku walked out.

"Finally. You're always the last one to finish."

"Yeah, but whatever. I'm done now. I don't care anymore."

The two friends then went to their next class, chemistry. Sora and Riku arrived late but Mr. Ansem didn't seem to mind. The two boys took a seat near the back and took out their notebooks. Today's lecture was a continuation of electron orbitals. Class ended soon enough and Sora was completely drained. Riku had a nice nap during class and it seemed to have rejuvenated him a bit. They walked into the cafeteria and sat down at a table.

"So, did you buy your ticket yet?" yawned Riku.

"Not yet. Do you know how much they are now?"

"I think 50 munny. You should have gotten them last week. They were only 45."

"But I didn't know I was going until last week, remember. Plus I had to rent a tux," Sora whined. "I'm going to flat out broke by the time this is over."

Soon the rest of the group showed up except for Tidus and Wakka who were hanging out with their dates. Selphie took a seat across Riku, Kairi across from Sora.

"Hey Sora, have you bought the tickets yet?" Kairi asked.

"Not yet. I'll probably get it tomorrow."

"That's fine. Don't forget to pick up your tux today."

Sora smacked himself in the forehead. He had almost forgotten about it. Sora finished off the rest of his classes and once the final bell rang, he immediately made a dash for the outside. He dropped his skateboard on the ground and jumped on. He pushed off and pumped his arms to gain speed. He veered in and out of alleyways and worked his way around pedestrians and heavy traffic. After a few blocks, he caught sight of the mall. He pushed himself faster. He finally made it and hopped off his board. He entered through the sliding doors and looked around.

"Crud, I don't remember where that store was," Sora mouthed to himself. He walked around for a bit, looking for a directory or a customer service station. 'Maybe I should have brought Kairi along' he thought. He took a seat on one of the benches and tried to remember the route. He knew he passed a couple shoe stores, a restaurant, and the movie theatre. The problem was he didn't know where they were located. A lady sat down next to him. She wore a red top with blue jeans. Sora guessed she was probably in her early thirties.

"Excuse me, mam?" Sora asked. The lady turned to him. "I was wondering if you could tell me where the department store is located. I'm a bit lost."

"It's on the next floor," she answered.

Sora thanked her and walked off. He took a ride on the escalator and there before him was the department store. Sora grinned sheepishly. _I knew that._ He entered the department store and made his way to the men's tuxedo department. He spotted the same employee who helped him a few days ago. Sora walked up to him.

"Ah, I've been expecting you," the man said as Sora walked up to him. "Your tux is all ready to go. All I need you to do is to try it on."

He handed Sora the tux and directed him to the fitting room. Sora entered the first stall and began undressing. He threw on the white shirt and then tucked it into the black pants. He struggled with the tie and threw the black jacket over his shoulders. After inspecting himself in the mirror he stepped out. The man looked Sora over and rubbed his chin a bit. He had Sora turn around and made a few adjustments to the tux. He straightened Sora's tie, smoothed out the vest, and made sure the jacket fit perfectly.

"Perfect. It looks great on you. I don't know if I asked you last time, but will you need shoes?"

"No," Sora answered. "I have a pair at home."

"That's good. Well, is there anything else I can help you with?" Sora thought for a second. _Tuxedo? Check. Shoes? Check. Socks? Check. Belt? Check._

"No, I think I have everything."

"Alright then. Well, I'm sure you'll look great for your err…uh…what event is this for, again?"

"School dance, sir."

"Ah and I take it that your date is that lovely young lady with the red hair?" Sora blushed and nodded his head.

The man chuckled a bit. "I remember my first high school dance. It was great! Well my friend, I'm glad to know that I was able to help you. Oh and if you could be so kind as to send me a picture of you wearing the tux it would be really great for advertising."

Sora smiled and threw the tuxedo over his shoulder. He gripped the hangar and walked out the store. Now he had basically everything set but just in case he made a mental note to buy the tickets first thing tomorrow.

* * *

Before you even getting started on the review, I know this was a horribly written chapter and I also know you guys expected better quality writing. Don't worry though the next chapter will be better. I just had to throw in a useless filler chapter so I can start writing the next BIG CHAPTER.

**Preview for next chapter:**

Sora laughed. "What's not to like?" He leaned closer Kairi. His face drifted a good five to six inches away from her. Kairi felt Sora's warm breath tickle her cheek. His cologne intoxicated her senses.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	9. Chapter VIII

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Thanks to all the people who reviewed and as a thank you here's the next chapter. Hopefully it's better than the last.

* * *

**Chapter VIII**

Kairi slipped out of the shower and wrapped herself in towel. Fog covered the oval shaped mirror and steam precipitated from the tub. A warm shower was what Kairi needed most of all. It had been a somewhat stressful week at school with the days counting down to tonight, the night of the dance. Kairi dried her hair and slipped into in her dress. It was bright red and spaghetti straps held it up. The dress fell down a little past her knees with a red sash tied around her waist. She opened the bathroom door and steam wafted out. Kairi went into her room and sat down in front of her mirror. She took out her tiny makeup kit and applied small amounts of blush and mascara. Kairi never did feel the need to use a lot of makeup. She still had some of her tomboyish pride from her youth. Besides, all that extra makeup made her feel sticky and compact.

"Kairi you look absolutely wonderful," her mom complimented. She stepped behind Kairi and looked in the mirror. "I think you missed a little spot right here." Her mom leaned over and gave Kairi a small kiss on the cheek. "There you go honey, all better."

Kairi brushed her bangs out of her face and reached for the lip gloss. She never used lipstick either. "Hey mom," Kairi said. "Do I look alright?"

"Of course you do," her mom answered. "You're my daughter. You got all your good genes from me- brains, good looks, positive attitude." The list could go on and on. "Besides, I think you look better when you're not all dressed up. Are you trying to impress someone…?"

Kairi blushed.

"One Sora, maybe?"

Kairi blushed even more. "No, mom! Sora and I are just friends. Nothing more."

"Then why is it that whenever I mention his name, you start daydreaming?"

"Mom, you're getting annoying," Kairi complained. "I have to get ready. Sora will be here any minute now."

"And I thought you said you we're getting ready for him…" her mom's voice trailed as she made her way downstairs.

Kairi stood up and threw her hands out in front of her. She took a deep breath and turned to the clock. _Oh good I still have time._ She dug into her jewelry box and pulled out her favorite necklace. From the looks of it, it was a silver moonstone necklace. Other jewelry stores would take it under the microscope and would say that it was uniquely different and one of a kind. It was a treasure, indeed. It was a present from her grandmother many years ago. Kairi didn't remember when she got it but throughout the years, you could never recall a time when it wasn't hanging from her neck. She pulled her hair to one side of her head and fastened on the necklace. She let it fall and it glistened. Kairi checked the clock again. _Oh wow. It's almost six. Sora's going to be here any minute now._ She hurried downstairs and pulled out her red, high heel shoes from the closet. You guessed it. She wasn't fond of high heels either but her mom forced her to buy them. "It wouldn't serve your dress any justice if you didn't get these cute shoes to match," Kairi recalled her mom saying. She gently took a seat on the couch and began strapping the shoes on. They were open-toed shoes and had a red ribbon on the back behind the ankle strap (right where the Achilles tendon is located). She stood back up and ran in front of the mirror again for one last look, occasional tripping and stumbling along the way. O, how she hated these shoes. Her mom stood next to her and smiled in approval.

"My little Kairi is all grown up. I remember when you were this small," her mom thought back. "And now you're a beautiful young woman. Soon you're going to get married, move out of the house, have beautiful children, and forget all about your little old mom."

"Mom, what are you talking about? I would never forget you," Kairi laughed.

_Ding dong._

"Ahh, that's Sora!" Kairi yelled out. "How do I look? Do I look ok? Is there anything on my face? Is there? Is there?"

"Relax honey," her mom said as she walked over to open the door. "You look fine and I'm sure Sora would say the same thing. Right, Sora?"

"Right," Sora said as he stepped inside the house. He was dressed in a white dress shirt. A red checkered tie hung from the collar. The bright red vest wrapped everything all together. In his hand was his black jacket. His hair could not be tamed.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Kairi's mom greeted. She gave Sora a hug and put a hand on his shoulder. "My, don't you look handsome tonight."

Sora smiled and scratched his head. Compliments always embarrassed him. He lowered his head and tried to shy away.

"Don't you think so too, Kairi?" her mom said. Kairi stopped straightening her dress and turned around. Her eyes met Sora's and she felt her legs get weak. Sora gave her a smile and Kairi could feel herself fold under all the pressure. _God, Sora looks so handsome. _Kairi walked up to him and his mother and gave Sora a friendly hug. _Hehe. He even smells good too. _

"You look beautiful tonight, Kairi," Sora complimented. He couldn't help but marvel at the natural beauty that stood before him. To him, she was the epitome of perfection, the definition of beauty, and the sign of all things good and wonderful in the world. He pulled out a box and opened it to reveal a corsage. He took her arm and slipped it on. It was decorated with a red bow and pink and red orchids were arranged on it. Kairi blushed and moved brushed a bang behind her ear.

"Thanks. You look great too," she managed to say as she pinned a boutonniere on his jacket.

"Okay, you two," Kairi's mother said. "Picture time." She left the room to grab her camera leaving Sora and Kairi together.

"Is your mom always like this?" Sora asked as he took a seat on the couch. He fiddled with the boutonniere.

"Pretty much," Kairi responded taking the seat next to him. "She likes you though, so that's good."

Sora laughed. "What's not to like?" He leaned closer Kairi. His face drifted a good five to six inches away from her. Kairi felt Sora's warm breath tickle her cheek. His cologne intoxicated her senses.

"Alright you two, stay in that position!" Her mom sprang out from behind the couch and the camera flash went off. She pressed a few buttons and cooed. "You guys look so cute in this picture. Take a look here."

She handed Kairi the camera and right there smack dab in full color was Sora and Kairi looking like they were about to kiss. Kairi blushed as she buried her face in his hands. "Mom! Stop embarrassing me!"

Sora put a comforting hand on her arm. "Hey it's okay. I'm sure your mom was just having a bit of fun. You know, if I caught someone else looking like they were about to kiss, I would have done the same thing."

Kairi lifted her head and smiled. She turned to face her mom who was still smiling and looking at the picture.

"I have got to get extra copies of this to your uncles and aunts. Only if your father was still here...he'd be so proud," her mom said as she refocused the camera at Sora and Kairi. "Now hold still, I don't want to miss this shot."

Sora and Kairi stood up. Kairi put her hand on Sora's chest and titled her head towards him. Sora wrapped an arm around Kairi. "One…two…smile…three." A flash went off and Kairi's mom rejoiced like it was the Fourth of July. "This one's definitely a keeper!"

Kairi gave her mom a kiss as she took hold of Sora's arm as they started out of the house. Her mom dramatically whipped out a handkerchief and pretended to dry her eyes and blow her nose. Sora walked up to her and shook her hand. "Take care of my little girl," she mouthed to Sora. Sora nodded his head and waved goodbye. Kairi still labored from the shoes and had a hard time staying on her feet. She fell forward a few times but Sora was able to catch her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine but these shoes are awful."

Sora looked down at her high heels and shook his head. "I don't get why girls wear high heels. They look really painful."

"It's because we want to look good. Is that a problem, you lazy bum?" She put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out.

Sora fought to restrain his laughter and kept a firm grip on Kairi's waist to keep her from falling again. By the time they reached the end of the block, Kairi had a pretty good handle on this walking with heels business.

The dance was held in the school gymnasium and she could see the spotlights and balloons from across the street. She wrapped her arm tighter around her date and Sora responded by tightening his hold on her waist. They stepped up to the entrance and Principle Yen Sid came up and shook Sora's hand.

"Sora and Kairi. I take it that you two are an item now?"

"No," Sora answered. "We're just friends." Kairi's heart dropped but she knew it was for the best. Sure she liked Sora but did she really _love_ him? Besides, Kairi would have said the same thing as well.

"I see," Yen Sid sighed rather disappointedly. He stroked his long white beard.

Sora reached into his coat pocket and came up with two tickets. Yen Sid took them and tore off the stubs. "Have a fun time in there you two."

The instant the two entered the gym, they were blown away. The committee did a wonderful job of decorating the place. An enormous disco ball hung over the center of the dance floor. Purple, pink, and yellow lights flashed everywhere. On the floor some students were getting their freak on to the latest hip-hop songs. Some teachers were dancing as well. Sora and Kairi walked over to the refreshments table and Sora reached out to grab a cup of punch.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice warned him.

Sora turned around and Riku gave him a high five. "It's spiked you know."

"What about the food? Are they spiked as well?"

"There you go again thinking with you stomach. But no, the food is fine."

"KAIRI!" Selphie squealed as she pushed past some people. "Wow! You look hot!"

"You don't look to bad yourself," Kairi giggled. Selphie was in a strapless yellow dress. It extended past her knees to her calves. Riku, her date, wore a black shirt and a gold tie and vest. They matched pretty well, Kairi had to admit.

"Come on let's dance!" Selphie suggested. She dragged Kairi onto the dance floor while Riku and Sora (once he stuffed a cookie in his mouth) followed behind.

Riku got behind Selphie and put both hands on her waist. In one quick motion he twirled her around. He caught the breathless Selphie midway before she could complete another rotation so her back was facing him. Riku was good. Sora, on the other hand, went for the more conventional upfront tactic. He wrapped both arms around Kairi's back and pulled her closer. Kairi threw her arms around Sora's neck and let her hips sway to the music. After the song finished Selphie and Kairi decided to "check their makeup."

"Oh man, Riku is a whoo…man he can move!" Selphie said as she tried to catch her breath. She took a drink of water and sat down. "He had me going up and down, left and right…"

"I know Selphie. I saw."

"How could you possibly see us when you occupied with Sora? Your head was on his shoulder and I saw that look in your eyes."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, Kairi. The one that looked like this." Kairi laughed. Selphie was horrible at impersonations.

"Well we better get back before the guys start worrying."

Riku and Sora were sitting at a table by the time Selphie and Kairi found them. Riku was reclining back in the chair chewing on some fruit. Sora sat across from him, his plate overflowing with cookies, cake, and pizza. He needed two cups of soda of rinse it down.

Selphie took a seat next to Riku, Kairi with Sora.

"Did you guys want any?" Sora offered. Cookie crumbs were plastered all over his face. Kairi giggled and grabbed a napkin and wiped them off.

"Aww, Kairi. You two look like husband and wife," Selphie cooed.

Kairi blushed and immediately stopped wiping off her dates face.

The DJ played another song. This one had a faster, up-tempo beat. Selphie stood up and tugged at Riku's arm. "I love this song!" Riku gave in and stood up and followed her to the dance floor.

"You guys coming?" Selphie asked as she turned her head towards Kairi. Kairi shook her head. She was pretty tired and Sora proved to be a pretty good dancer after all. _So much for dances not being his forte._

Sora finished wiping up his face and gulped down a soda. "Kairi? Did you want to dance too?"

"No. I'm kind of tired. I think I'll just get something to eat." Sora lowered his head and continued feeding the beast.

After a bit, Kairi returned with a couple cookies and a slice of pizza.

"I think I got a bit too much," she said as she dragged her seat closer to Sora.

"Here, I think I can help with that," Sora said as he swiped two cookies from her plate and shoveled them immediately into his mouth.

"Hey I didn't say you would take those," Kairi said as she slapped his arm.

Sora just smiled and continued chewing.

Soon the song ended and Riku and Selphie retired to the table. A slow song played and Kairi stood up. "You want to dance, Sora?"

Sora stood up and took her hand. Sora wasn't much of a slow dance type a guy but if it was with Kairi, it was a whole different story.

"I'm going to sit this one out," Selphie said. "I don't do slow dances." Riku wiped the sweat off his forehead and pointed up towards the heavens. _Thank God._

Kairi and Sora found a pretty good spot on the floor. Kairi moved in closer and wrapped her arms around Sora's neck. Sora had his hands around her back. As the song continued playing, Kairi felt at ease. Here she was in Sora's arms, dancing, swaying. Everything felt so right. She felt as if she was walking on the clouds. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. She felt Sora's heart beat. She wished she could just stay like this forever. The song unfortunately ended and Kairi was awoken out of her daydream by Sora who reached for her hand.

"Want to get some air?" he asked. Kairi nodded and she followed Sora out side. Sora walked up and sat down on the benches. A line of rose bushes decorated the perimeter of the gym. Kairi took a seat beside him.

"You know, Kairi, thanks for inviting me to the dance with you," he said. "I don't think I would have gone if it weren't for you."

"Yeah, well, thanks for coming with me," Kairi blushed. She ripped a petal off one of the roses and played with it.

Soon a loud bang was heard. Sora and Kairi turned their attention to the night's sky and it was lit up by fireworks. Sora scooted closer to Kairi and he lifted her chin up. Kairi stared deep into his blue eyes. They enticed her. The way they looked so innocent and caring one moment then determined the next was a mystery to her. Sora leaned in closer and planted a kiss on her lips. Kairi closed her eyes as she pressed back. She felt a horde of fireworks go off inside her. Sora pulled back and broke the kiss. Though it only last a mere five seconds, Kairi felt that it had been an eternity.

"I'm sorry," Sora said. "I shouldn't…"

But Kairi cut him off by placing a finger over his lips. "It's fine." Now it was Sora's turn to look into her eyes. They were of a bluish purple hue. They were calm, joyous, and beautiful- just like her.

Kairi removed her hand and rested her head on Sora's chest. "You know what this means, right?"

"I guess," Sora answered. He was never good with riddles but he was pretty sure he was right on this one. "We're a…"

"Right," she said as she grabbed his hand. "But let's keep it secret for now. I don't want Selphie to find out. She'll start telling everyone."

Sora nodded and rested his head back. He looked up at the sky thanking the gods for everything. The shooting star streaked across the sky and he mouthed a wish. 'I wish this night would never end.'

The dance ended and Sora and Kairi walked home. They didn't hold hands or anything for fear of their secret being exposed. Instead, they walked side by side the entire way home, their heads down. Soon, Kairi's house came into view. Sora escorted her to the doorstep and Kairi opened the door.

"You want to come in? I'm sure my mom won't mind," she said as she opened the door fully.

Sora shrugged his shoulders and stepped in. He took of his shoes and placed them next to the door. He took of his jacket and loosened his tie before sitting down on the couch. "Much better. I can finally breathe now."

Kairi laughed and withdrew to her bedroom. She took off her necklace and placed it inside her jewelry box. Lastly, she zipped out of her dress and put on her jammies. She went back downstairs to find Sora knocked out on the couch. She took a seat next to him and shook him awake. 'He probably shouldn't have drank that punch before we left' Kairi thought.

"Sorry, Kairi. I guess I'm kind of tired."

"So I see. You better get home now."

"Yeah, can you do me a favor, first? Could you turn around?"

Kairi lifted an eyebrow and gave Sora a quizzical look.

"Don't worry. I won't do anything bad," he assured her.

Kairi turned around and Sora moved his hands to her head. He parted her red hair to reveal the back of her neck. Sora leaned in for a kiss. Kairi tightened up but felt a tingly sensation crawl down her spine. It felt really good, surprisingly. Then Sora whispered something in her ear. "I love you. Goodnight." With that he grabbed his jacket and stepped into his shoes. Seconds later the door closed. Kairi just sat there, a smile on her face. She turned around but Sora was gone. She locked the door and tip toed upstairs so she wouldn't wake her mom. She dove into bed and hugged her teddy bear tight, thanking whoever was up there for Sora. "I love you too," she whispered as sleep overtook her.

* * *

Hopefully this made up for the last chapter. But what's with this "lets keep it a secret" business? I'll guess you'll have to find out. You got to love dramatic irony. Until next time.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. You may want to check the "News" section in my profile for updates. There is an important piece of information you should know.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	10. Chapter IX

It's great to be home. The Florida vacation was alright.

Disclaimer: I don't own KH I or II.

* * *

**Chapter IX**

The days came and went and soon Winter Break was around the corner. The weather became colder and days became shorter, nights lengthened. It didn't snow on Destiny Island but the chill wind served as a constant reminder of the change of season and the leaves, lush and green, didn't show any signs of the passing autumn. While most people hurried to stores and malls to shop for Christmas presents, the fellow students of Destiny High slugged on. It was always weird how a roadblock always stood in the way between you and absolute freedom. It was like the teachers scheduled the final test perfectly, as if to squeeze every morsel of knowledge out of your feeble body. It was a lose-lose situation, in fact.

"Ahh, I can't believe this," whined Selphie. She dropped her head on the lunch table and pulled on her hair. "Why can't we have the tests when we come back?"

"Actually, I don't mind having the tests before. That way, we won't have to worry about it when we come back," Riku reasoned.

"Yeah," Kairi agreed. "But think of it this way, at least this is the last week of instruction."

"I know but I don't want to take those tests. I'm never good at them." Selphie frowned.

"Just remember that Winter Break is coming up, you know?" Riku told her. "Once you're done with those tests, you have a good two weeks to do nothing."

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that," Selphie exclaimed. "What are we going to do over break?"

Kairi and Riku thought for a second but no idea popped into their heads. As a matter of fact, none of them had plans aside from spending time with their families during Christmas. Riku was pretty certain he and Sora would hang out somewhere and Kairi was always free.

"I know. How about we go mountain climbing?" Sora suggested. "What do you guys say?"

Everyone's eyes widened as they tried to comprehend Sora's idea. 'Who in their right minds would go mountain climbing during winter?' thought Kairi.

"Why didn't I think of that?" said an enthralled Selphie. "That's a great idea Sora!"

"I don't know guys," said a worried Kairi. "I don't know anything about mountain climbing."

"It's not mountain climbing per say," Sora assured her. "There's a little trail that leads up from the base of the mountain to the summit. Hopefully if we get to the top before nightfall we could stay there overnight and get a glimpse of some snow."

"Really? I didn't know it snowed up there before," Selphie said. "I didn't know it snowed on Destiny Islands at all."

"It doesn't snow on Destiny Islands Selphie but up on the mountains, the elevation is higher so it might snow up there," Riku informed her.

"You're smart, Riku."

"So when did you guys want to go?" Sora asked.

"How about we go on the 26th?" Kairi said. "I'll have to ask my mom if I can go first."

Everyone agreed and the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

"I'll see you guys later," Sora and Riku said as they left for band class. "We'll tell Wakka and Tidus about the idea."

-KH-

Later on that night Sora woke to his phone ringing. He slid off his bed and trudged in the darkness using the loud ringing as a guide. A little glimmer of moonlight showed through his blinds but even then, Sora's eyes were half open to notice anything. He picked up the receiver and spoke into the mouthpiece.

"Hey Sora. It's Roxas. I'm spending Christmas at your house this year."

"Don't you know what time it is? Couldn't you have waited till morning?" Sora was pretty upset and irritated. It was a carnal sin to wake Sora from his sleep. "So when are you coming here?"

"I'll be there on the 26th and my parents said I can stay until New Years," Roxas excitedly said. He didn't give a drat about carnal sins or whatever they were called.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sora uninterestingly muttered. "We're going on a mountain adventure that day and hopefully we can sleep on the mountain overnight. We'll pitch a tent and stuff."

"That's what I'm talking about. Is Riku and guys coming?"

"Yeah," Sora droned out. "So are my other friends, Selphie and Kairi."

"Nice. The more the merrier, right?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Sora started to drift off to sleep again. He disconnected the phone in case any more calls were coming in. He eyed the clock and it read '9:30'. He normally didn't turn in this early but studying can take a lot of a person. He yawned before hanging up the phone.

-KH-

"Yeah, I can't believe exams are done now," Selphie exclaimed as she took in a big breath. She threw open the school doors and let the rays of the sun greet and warm her body. "I am so tired!"

"I agree," Kairi said as she zipped up her backpack. "I swear that chemistry test was pretty hard. I'm just thankful I got through it."

"Hey want to go get some Scrooge's to celebrate?" Selphie suggested. "My treat!"

"Sure, I'd never pass a free ice cream," Kairi laughed.

"Race ya," Selphie screamed as she took off as fast a lightning leaving Kairi who was coughing up dust. "Selphie you dumb bum, I'll get you back for this" Kairi said between coughs.

Instead of running to catch up to Selphie, Kairi decided to walk. She enjoyed long walks and the bright afternoon sun felt good on her skin. A slight breeze blew by her and played with her hair. After a few blocks, she found Selphie sitting at one of those umbrella tables licking down what looked like a mega-sized ice cream cone with double the scoops and triple the toppings with a red cherry on top, of course.

"Hey what took so long," Selphie joked. "This is my second ice cream already."

Kairi shook her head. That can't be her second ice cream. She had to be joking but deep inside, Kairi had a feeling that Selphie wasn't kidding around. She knew that Selphie had a sweet tooth and there was no being alive who could take in more sugar than her.

Kairi pushed open the door and stepped inside the parlor. She stood behind a long line of students. They were probably celebrating the start of winter break and the end of those insane and pointless tests. Kairi had always loved coming to Scrooge's mainly because they served her favorite ice cream flavor, yummy paopu. Sure, she liked sea-salt ice cream as well but yummy paopu was her favorite growing up. She had known about the local legend since she was a kid but it was only a legend, after all. The line slowly began moving and Kairi found herself at the front of the line a few minutes later. She stepped up to the register and ordered her usual. She told the cashier to put the bill on Selphie's tab and to get her revenge on Selphie, Kairi also added a tip to that tab. Kairi smiled at her evilness (which wasn't much) and took the ice cream cone outside. She sat next to Selphie who already finished her cone. Selphie began talking while Kairi just sat there enjoying her cold treat.

"I can't wait till we go mountain climbing," Selphie said optimistically. "This is going to be so much fun."

Kairi smiled and continued licking her ice cream. She wasn't really listening to Selphie blabber on and on. She was more interested in the ice cream.

"I've already started packing," Selphie told her. "I got all the essentials ready to go. I have candy, cookies, and chips. I told Sora to bring the drinks. Did you ask your mom if you can come?"

Kairi was still licking on her ice cream, totally oblivious to the question Selphie asked her.

"Kairi?"

Kairi still didn't respond.

'Ok that's it! I have to bring out the guns.' Selphie maliciously thought.

"Kairi, looks there's Sora with his shirt off!" Selphie yelled out. Kairi immediately broke out of her trance and looked around. "Where?"

Selphie busted out laughing and she fell out of her seat. She was laughing too hard to notice the pain as it was too funny. She put a hand over her stomach which was now hurting and she wiped a tear from her eye. "You should have seen the look on your face!"

Kairi blushed and slapped Selphie on the arm. "Don't ever do that again. That's now funny," she scolded.

"Relax Kairi. It's not you like the guy, anyways, right?"

Kairi blushed even harder. She did like the guy. Well, actually, _love_ but still no one was supposed to know. Kairi hoped she didn't give anything away. It was their little secret. Selphie's laughing died down and she asked Kairi once again if she was going.

"Yeah, I'm going," Kairi informed her. "But I'm still not much of a mountain person."

-KH-

Kairi spent the whole time preparing and packing for their so-called mountain adventure. She packed extra layers of clothing to prepare for the cold weather, if there was going to be one. She wasn't sure. It had never dropped under 60˚ Fahrenheit (15.6˚ Celsius). Kairi was always a top, skirt, shoes kind of girl and pink was her color of choice. Regardless, she packed long pants and threw in a few more sweaters. She even went out to purchase a pair of gloves. She didn't know what to expect but she was ready. Before zipping up her bag, she decided to dress herself in what she was going to wear on that day. She jumped into her jeans and threw a sweater over her top. Lastly, she fastened on the gloves and checked herself in the mirror.

"This makes me look fat," Kairi pouted.

"Sure does," a voice behind her called.

Kairi turned around and noticed Sora sitting on her window sill.

"How did you get up here," she demanded.

"I climbed your tree," he answered.

"Well get down from there before you hurt yourself," Kairi snapped.

"Relax. I won't…"

"Sora!"

"…fall. It's alright. I didn't fall. I just jumped back on the branch of the tree."

"Sora, get in here right now!"

Sora climbed back up and hopped in the room. He looked around and noticed how everything was pink. He flickered his eyes open and closed to adjust to the brightness of the room.

"Why is everything in here pink? I think I'm going blind."

"Good for you. Then maybe you'll stop looking through people's windows."

Sora laughed. "I wasn't peeping. I just wanted to surprise you."

Kairi pursed her lips together and put her hands on her lips. "Well, Tom?"

"I got it right here and my name isn't Tom." Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a present. Kairi tugged on the bow and it slipped off. She then tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a long rectangular blue box. She lifted to lid to reveal a gold bracelet. The charms that hung from it spelled out her name.

"It's beautiful Sora," Kairi cooed as she gave Sora a quick kiss. Sora hooked it on her wrist.

"Merry Christmas, Kairi."

After Kairi was done marveling at it, she retreated to her closet and pulled out something for Sora. "Here this is for you."

Sora took it and ripped off the package like a little kid at a birthday party. He opened the box and inside was a guitar strap. It was mainly black but had designs ornamented all over it. If you looked closely, the designs were actually pictures and words that described Sora. His name, in red text, was embossed on it and it ran down the length of the strap. On the reverse side was a message. _To my favorite rockstar. I love you. –Kairi_

Sora gave her a kiss on the forehead and thanked her. "You know, this is the greatest present I ever got."

-KH-

Roxas arrived the morning of the 26th by train, instead of plane. It took longer to get there but Roxas was content looking at the scenery. As opposed to Twilight Town, Destiny Islands offered a bit more to look at. There was the beach, the brown sand, trees and plants everywhere not to mention girls in bikinis. Sure, they had these at home but the exotic factor was missing. He took a cab and ended up at his cousin's house 30 minutes later. Upon his arrival, he was immediately tackled by Wakka who was practicing a couple blitzball moves with Tidus out in the front yard.

"Hey Wakka, how's it going?"

"I'm sorry, brudda. I didn't see you there," Wakka apologized. He helped up his spiky blonde haired friend and took his stuff inside the house.

"Hey Roxas. You're here?"

"Of course. I'd be here sooner but I got stuck in holiday traffic. So what's this mountain plan you've been talking about?"

"I'll fill you in later. Right now, I'm just waiting for the girls to show up. Then we can get ready to leave."

Sora left the room leaving Roxas in the kitchen. Starving, he dug through the pantry and took out some pastries. 'I'm sure Sora wouldn't mind if I infringed on his snacks,' Roxas deliberated.

"Hey Sor-whoa. Roxas! I thought you were Sora for a second," Riku said. "How was your trip?"

"It was alright. Trains are a whole lot better than planes, I'll tell you that much. Food there is much better."

"I see that you and Sora still think with your stomachs."

"I heard that," Sora yelled out as she hustled down the stairs, his bag thrown haphazardly over his shoulder. "And who said you could eat the snacks?"

"Aw come on. I was hungry," argued Roxas. He took a bite out of the chocolate donut.

"You didn't tell him they're Selphie's?" Riku asked.

"Selphie. Who's Selphie?"

"I'm Selphie," a girl with brown hair said. She had her arms crossed and a look of murder on her face. She was wearing jeans and was covered in a bright yellow jacket. "And those are my donuts!"

"Sora. I thought these were yours," Roxas said turning to his cousin for help. Selphie looked awfully scary.

"Just because it's in my pantry doesn't mean it's mine," Sora answered.

"You are so going to get it? Who do you think you are anyways?"

"I'm Roxas. I'm Sora's cousin."

"Roxas? As in the drummer?"

"Y-yeah. That's me," Roxas said. 'Crud she probably hates drummers or something. I'm dead' Roxas thought as he embraced for his death.

"Why didn't you say so? Go ahead take as many donuts as you want. It's not everyday I get to meet a member of Sora's acclaimed band," Selphie cheered. "I'm Selphie, by the way. Nice to meet cha."

Roxas went to shake her hand but was glomped by one of Selphie's death grip hugs.

"Uh…Selphie you're cutting off my circulation."

"Who said it was Sora's band? Sora's in my band, remember," Riku said. Sora again rolled his eyes as he dropped his bag on the living room floor.

"Where's Kairi?" he asked.

"She's outside with Tidus and Wakka. They needed a referee," Selphie answered as she swiped a glazed donut from Roxas' plate.

Sora went outside and gave Kairi a friendly hug. Soon the other joined him outside after a quick meal and they went to the mountain.

-KH-

Mt. Destiny was the tallest mountain on Destiny Islands. In fact, it was the only mountain on the island. Towering at 13,200 feet, it was one of the island's most famous tour spots aside from the beach. It was family friendly, obviously. Sora hadn't been to the top since he was kid with his dad. There was a dirt trail that led up to the first relief point where there was food, water, medical rescue, and phone service. For those who walked up the mountain it took half a day. For those who took the lift, it only took an hour or so.

Sora and company arrived at the base of the mountain and they decided to walk first. If they got tired then they would take the lift. Sora led the way, followed by Riku. Wakka covered the rear. After two hours or so of walking, the group came to the first relief point. They took rest at a nearby picnic table and ate a quick snack.

"I'm pretty tired you guys. You know I'm not much of a climber," Kairi said out of breath.

"You're doing pretty well," Sora praised her. He gave her a smile and nudged her on the side. "We'll be up there soon."

Kairi smiled and Selphie smiled even brighter. Maybe they didn't hook up at the dance but this time they were sure to come out a couple. Selphie could feel it. It was either that or the cold. But it was something and her intuitions were _always_ correct.

"Oh sorry Selphie," Tidus apologized. "I didn't mean to flick that bug on you."

'Great, just when I thought it was sign from the gods' Selphie frowned.

"Tidus, I'm going to kill you!" she yelled as she chased Tidus around the camp site.

"Uh, Sora? Is she always like this?" Roxas questioned.

"More than you know."

Soon a high pitched scream was heard as Selphie bursted into the clearing followed by Tidus who was grabbing his head.

"Bear!" Selphie yelled as she threw her hands out in front of her and high-tailed it in the opposite direction. Wakka, Riku, Roxas, Kairi, and Sora just stood left to wonder what she was hollering about.

"Move out of the way!" Tidus screamed as he avoided running into Roxas.

A grizzly, big brown bear rushed into the clearing, saliva dripping from its mouth. It roared a fearsome cry and chased after the teens. It chased them off the path and into a beaten old trail that looked like it had never been used in over a century. The safety cones and barricade that signaled a dead end were faded and unnoticeable. The orange paint was a cracked dry brown color and camouflaged with the surroundings of the mountain.

Selphie stopped and the rest of the group collided into each other's back causing a domino effect.

"Ouch, Selphie what was that for?" Kairi moaned as she grabbed her aching head.

"Dead end you guys," Selphie fearfully said.

The bear finally caught up to them, its rage even more fiery than a volcano. It rose on its hind legs revealing its giant frame and it let out a terrorizing roar. Selphie shook in fear and cried out. She ducked behind the boys and held on to Kairi's leg, mumbling her final prayers. "Don't let it turn me into a shish kabob," she muttered.

Riku's eyes scanned around for any sight of an exit or shelter. He clenched his fists and found a long stick beside him. He picked it up and tossed it at Sora.

"What do you want me to do with this?" asked Sora. Now wasn't the time to play gladiator.

"Just try to hold it off," Riku instructed. "I'll try to figure out something in the meantime."

Sora gripped the stick. It wasn't much but it was the only form of protection they had.

Selphie again continued with her unhelpful and annoying rants about dying and barbeques. Kairi held on to her tightly, too scared to even speak. She froze and did the only thing she could do, cover her eyes. Riku once again roamed the area and he looked above him. There was a ledge and he hoped he could get up there and pull his friends to safety.

"Tidus give me a lift," Riku whispered. Tidus looked at Riku who pointed upwards. Tidus caught glimpse of the ledge and bent down to give his silver haired friend a boost. He started his climb slowly so he wouldn't startle the bear. Riku gripped the ledge and used all his upper body strength to will himself upward. Once he got to the top, he signaled for Roxas to come up and join him. Once the boys were positioned on the ledge, Tidus lifted Selphie so Roxas and Riku could pull her up. After her, Kairi was next and Wakka followed last. Soon Tidus and Sora were all who remained. Surprisingly the bear didn't move an inch. It thumped down on all fours and snarled. It looks like it was revving up for a running start.

"Tidus, you're up," Sora said.

Tidus nodded and jumped in the air. Roxas, Riku, and Wakka caught his arms and dragged him up. Still the bear did not move. Sora dropped the stick and it rattled on the ground. The bear growled and took off after the defenseless Sora. Dropping the stick was a bad idea he soon realized and he slowly backed up. He collided with the wall. The stick was too far for his reach and the bear had gotten too close. He could feel the bear's breath blow on his hair. Sora feared for the end. The growls boomed in his ears and he believed he felt a paw reach out for a swipe. Sora fell and dove between's the bear's legs. He continued running and he didn't dare stop.

"Sora, run. Save yourself," Tidus yelled from the ledge. "Don't worry about us!"

Sora looked back at his friends who were still on the ledge. They were safe for now but trapped as well. He cursed himself for dropping the stick and for leaving his friends behind. But first things first, he had to get the bear away from them and quick. He still had horrible thoughts of leaving his friends and the guilt panged his chest. He looked over his shoulder every so often to make sure the bear wasn't following him. He came to the relief point and pushed open the doors. A couple park rangers sat up from the table alarmed.

"Whoa, slow down there son. There's enough hot chocolate for everyone."

"I'm sorry," a panting Sora said. He put his hands on his knees and breathed heavily before continuing. "My friends are trapped by a bear. They climbed on top a ledge but they're still trapped."

The rangers immediately reached for their walkie talkies. "Front. There has been a bear sighting. George and I are going in."

"Lester, this is front. Proceed with caution."

"Let's go son," Lester said as he led Sora to the jeep.

Sora directed them to the place and sure enough his friends were still on the ledge. Selphie's wails could be heard from miles out. The bear was still there as well.

"George, grab the net." Lester whipped out a tranquilizer gun from his utility belt and loaded it with a single dart. George straightened the net and threw it over the bear. It hit its mark and the bear went stumbling down. Lester took aim and fired the dart at the bear's shoulder knocking it out.

Selphie, Kairi, Tidus, Wakka, Roxas, and Riku climbed down from the ledge and thanked the rangers.

"No need to thank us kids. Sonny over here was the real hero," George said as he patted Sora on the shoulder. "You guys were lucky he was able to get to us in time."

Lester and George carried the bear and threw him in jeep. The paralysis would wear off soon and by that the time the bear would be moved to a different side of the mountain (after it was fed, of course).

"Good going, Sonny," Roxas joked.

Selphie embraced Sora in a bear hug, thanking him for saving her life.

* * *

I'd like to thank **Craxuan** for the mountain adventure suggestion. This was a great idea! Thanks again and thank you guys for reading!

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	11. Chapter X

Disclaimer: I don't own KH I or II. The ghost stories are strictly from my imagination and I reserve the right to do with them as I please.

* * *

**Chapter X**

The party continued up the mountain. By now, they could feel the temperature drop and Kairi put a gloved hand over her nose to stop the cold air from stinging it. She turned around and noticed that Selphie had her hands in her pockets. Kairi sniffled again and pulled the bands to tighten her hood. She crossed her arms to keep the heat as close to her body as possible. Sora, Roxas, and Riku were at the front. She could hear laughter but dismissed the fantasy. 'Who laughs when it's freezing cold' she thought to herself. Sora turned around and gave Kairi a concerned look. She smiled. He fell back and told Riku and Roxas to keep going forward and only stop at the second relief point. Now would be the perfect time to utilize the lift. Sora looked over the edge of the trail and noted that two other parties were following shortly behind.

"Here," Sora said as he handed Kairi a blanket. "Throw this on. It'll keep your warm."

Kairi smiled as Sora draped the blanket over her shoulders. Immediately she felt warmer and she hugged the blanket tighter. Sora closed up his backpack and turned around to check on the others. Wakka and Tidus were walking with Selphie and they seemed fine. Still, Sora felt obliged to go down there and check.

"Wakka? How are you guys doing?" Sora asked.

"We're fine brudda. This cold ain't nothing."

Sora smiled at his friend's show of invincibility. Wakka was a weird one sometimes but his pride and optimism never faltered.

"Don't worry about us," Tidus said. He refastened his glove and zipped up his jacket all the way. "Cold temperatures don't both us much."

Sora nodded and continued walking down the path. He met up with the other group that was behind him and sought out the guide.

"Excuse me," Sora called. The guide turned around and put his hands on his hips. He was a burly man with broad shoulders and a wide stance. He was dressed in a skin tight jacket and shorts. A hat covered his head and a handkerchief hid half of his face. Sora wondered how he wasn't freezing yet.

"I was wondering if you can tell me how long more until we reach the next relief point."

The man looked up and tore the handkerchief from his face. He licked his lips and turned his eyes to Sora. "Fifteen minutes, more or less," he answered.

Sora thanked him and ran back up to rejoin his party. He came across the same place where he talked to Kairi earlier and guessed that everyone was well ahead already. He increased his pace, not wanting to get left behind. Soon he spotted Selphie's bright yellow jacket from around the bend and called out to her.

"Hey. Wait up!"

Everyone turned around and stopped for him. Sora rested a hand on Tidus' shoulder before speaking. He clearly was out of breath and due to change in elevation; Sora felt a burn in his lungs. He remembered this sensation from when he was a kid and took deeper breaths to get more air into his lungs.

"The guide said we have fifteen minutes to go until we reach the next point," Sora informed them. "After that, we can take the lift to the top and get some hot chocolate to warm up."

This news excited Selphie who took off in a powerwalk, leaving everyone else behind. She swung her arms and took longer strides that made her look like a funky chicken. Riku and Roxas threw their bags over their shoulders and started as well. Wakka and Tidus walked next to them and they began talking. That left Sora and Kairi alone. Sora checked the map and estimated they would be at the top by nightfall. He looked into the sky and watched the sun tuck behind the thick clouds. He guessed it was around two o'clock. His stomach hadn't growled yet and he was thankful.

Kairi slid off the blanket and handed it back to Sora. "Here, I don't need it anymore," Kairi gratefully said.

"Are you sure, you can keep using it as long as you want. I have extra blankets in my backpack," Sora insisted. "I'm pretty used to the cold."

A cold gust of wind blew past them and Kairi began to shiver. Sora took the red blanket and once again put it over her shoulders. He wrapped an arm around her and she clung to his waist. Kairi felt herself get hot but she decided it was better than feeling cold.

Soon they reached the second relief point and Sora remembered it quite differently. For starters, he didn't remember seeing many cabins there. He let go of Kairi who instantly frowned. She just got used to the heat and let her displeasure be known by a small moan. She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and followed Sora into one of the cabins. Sora slipped to the front counter and asked the lady when the next lift was coming up. After he learned that the lift would be here any second now, he thanked the lady and turned around and smiled at Kairi.

"Any second now. But first we have to find the guys."

They left that cabin and entered the next one. Sora pushed open the door and held it open for Kairi before going in. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sweet aroma of hot chocolate tantalized him to the table where he immediately poured himself a cup. He stirred his hot drink with a spoon and took a long big gulp, disregarding the searing heat that stung his tongue and gums.

"Sora, there you are," Selphie called. "The lift just got up here. Let's go."

Sora dumped his cup in the trash and followed her outside. Everyone else was already strapped on the lift and the guides called out for any last takers. Selphie jumped on the lift and scooted over so Sora could squeeze in next to her. It was a tight fit but everyone was able to get on. The guides closed the door and signaled the lift engineers to start the ascent.

"Geez, Sora. You shouldn't have drunk that hot chocolate," Selphie joked. "I can't breathe."

Everyone laughed and Sora rubbed his neck and flashed that famous grin of his. He gave her the "I'm a growing boy" excuse and Roxas gave him a high five. Selphie rolled her eyes before slugging both boys on the arm. The force of her punch tipped the lift cart and everyone jumped to the other side to restore balance.

"Good going Selphie," Wakka muttered underneath the pile of people.

He was now squished between the sides of the cart and Riku's back was pinning his face on the arm rest. He muttered a few curses to himself and pushed Riku forward so he was sitting on the edge of the seat. This allowed Wakka room to lift his head and get some space to breathe.

After an uncomfortable thirty minutes made worse by Wakka's corny jokes, the lift stopped at the top of the mountain. Everyone vacated the death trap of a cart and Sora fell flat on his back. He was surprised that no snow greeted him but he wasn't expecting it. He was just hoping to see it one more time. He wanted to feel the cold powder tickle his face and taste it on his tongue again. He stood up and walked to the edge of the summit. He felt a cold breeze of air blast across his face and he looked out. Despite the clouds covering a good portion of what he saw, he was able to pick out some landmarks of his homeland. He easily found his mom's bank due to its extreme height and towering presence. It was something you could not easily miss. His eyes scanned around and he was able to pinpoint a few houses and buildings. He was sure the sun was shining down and he was able to catch a glimpse of the sun's rays. He couldn't see his home; he was facing its direction. He couldn't find his school and the thought of that intrigued him. He hoped it wasn't there anymore but he knew that wasn't a possibility. He saw the beach. That was good; the haze wasn't too thick. As night fell, Sora hoped to be able to see the stars in full view. As a kid, he'd climb his roof and just lay there looking at the stars for a few hours. Before he was able to locate and name various constellation- Hercules, the big dipper, and Orion's belt. Now, he didn't think he could find them anymore.

Sora heard footsteps behind him but he kept his eyes on the scenery. It was beautiful. It was like he was looking down at the world through a glass window. He couldn't hear anything down below him and it was nice.

"Hey Sora, what are you looking at?" Kairi asked him. His blanket still hung from her shoulders and she wasn't shivering as much anymore.

"I'm just enjoying the view," he calmly said.

Kairi looked at Sora and saw calmness and tranquility etched on his face. It was definitely a side of him she had never seen before. She knew he was smart and a happy-go-lucky kid, but here, she sensed a feeling of a rest and relief coming from him. Sora looked to be deep in thought and Kairi decided it was best not to interrupt him. She took a seat and rested her head on his shoulder. Sora didn't stir but squeezed her hand gently.

"You know, my dad used to tell me that you don't appreciate silence until you're up here on these mountains."

"It's beautiful," Kairi whispered.

Sora sighed and squeezed her hand again. Kairi looked out and saw the water crash on the beach. She turned and looked for her house.

"I think I see my house. Over there," Kairi pointed excitedly.

Sora took her arm and gently moved it to the other side. "Kairi, your house is over there."

Kairi turned her head back to the previous spot and looked at it more carefully. "No, it's over there," she argued. "I know what my house looks like."

"Your house looks like an apartment complex?" Sora asked.

"No. But that's my house."

"Kairi, I know where you live. You don't live that way."

Now Kairi was confused. She turned her head back to Sora who had an approving smile on his face. She looked back out and instantly the clouds cleared to show an apartment complex that looked rather beat up.

"Hahaha, you live in an old beat up apartment!" Sora laughed out.

Kairi pouted and punched him in the arm. Sora flinched and stood up. He towered over her and he laughed menacingly. Kairi screamed and tried her best to run away. However, she wasn't quick enough and he caught up to her, accidentally knocking her down.

"I'm sorry Kairi. Are you ok?"

Kairi sat up and dusted herself off. She inspected her arms and legs of any blood but there was none. "I'm fine."

"Aww…look at the love birds," Selphie cooed. She flipped out a camera and took a few pictures.

Sora stood up and shielded his eyes from the flashes. He walked over to Kairi and helped her up.

"Sora! That's not the way to do it," Selphie scolded him. "You have to pick her up like this."

Selphie demonstrated the bridal way of picking someone up and Sora just ignored her. She glared at him but continued taking pictures. Sora walked up next to her and yanked the camera from her hands. He pulled out the battery and tossed the camera back.

"I'll give this back to you when you start acting like a big girl, ok?"

Selphie frowned and nodded. She looked as if she was about to cry. However, Sora felt no remorse. He shook his head and deposited the battery into his pocket before walking into the cabin.

"Geez Kairi. Your boyfriend is mean," Selphie jokingly said.

"What?! He's not my boyfriend," Kairi said defensively.

"Then what was that little episode earlier when your head was on his shoulder, huh? Explain that!"

"I was tired."

"Likely story."

"Selphie, I'm not joking. Sora is not my boyfriend!"

"Relax, Kairi. I was only joking. Sheesh, you take things to personally," her voice trailed off as she walked back into the cabin.

Kairi wiped her forehead and she picked up Sora's blanket. She could smell Sora's scent on it and it she giggled. Sora smelled pretty good for a boy. His cologne wasn't overwhelming but it sure had a pleasing affect on her. She clutched it in her hand and ran into the cabin.

Soon nighttime fell. Luckily for Sora, the stars were out and brightly shining. Riku and Roxas brought firewood and piled them up to look like a teepee. While Tidus and Wakka pitched tents, Sora, Selphie, and Kairi went out to fetch water. Roxas stuck the match and got the campfire going. The fire crackled as it burned through the wood. He pulled of his gloves and warmed his hands. Riku joined with a bag of graham crackers. Roxas smiled and whipped out a bag of jumbo sized marshmallows from his bag. Tidus had the chocolate in his backpack. It was heavily guarded underneath all his clothing and sealed in a Ziploc bag. The bag was stapled as well and it was wrapped in a grocery bag. This contraption was Selphie proof and splitting up the goods was a touch of genius by Kairi. Roxas and Riku grinned at each other and reclined their backs on a log.

Soon all the work was done and the group gathered together to enjoy some smores. Each pulled out a stick and fastened a marshmallow on the tip, roasting it over the fire. Selphie took two marshmallows at a time and smushed them securely between the crackers and chocolate. She took a big bite and sticky marshmallow goo stuck to her face. She smiled smugly. There was nothing quite like biting into a smore.

"Hey guys, let's tell scary stories" Selphie squealed excitedly.

Kairi's face grew pale and her eyes widened like she saw a ghost. Sora nudged her gently on the side and she snapped out of it.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Kairi slowly said. She didn't want to be a party pooper but there was no way in heck she'd listen to one.

"Aww, come on," Selphie whined. "I promise if it's too scary we'll stop."

Kairi didn't take her word for it but she had no choice as Tidus started talking.

"There once was this old abandoned log cabin out in the middle of the forest," he began. "Rumors told that this cabin was haunted by the ghost of Riley who used to live there. One afternoon a boy decided to take a shortcut through the forest one his way to his father's workshop in the next town. However, he got lost. He didn't have a watch but the orange, yellow, and red lights in the sky indicated it was sunset. He only had little time before it became dark. He raced through the forest as fast as his legs could take him. Soon the sun went down completely and the brilliant moon took its place. From its light the boy was able to make it to a clearing where the cabin stood. The boy didn't know of the local legend so he went up to the cabin. He knocked on the door which mysteriously creaked opened to reveal a dark room with a dusty old table on the side and a small bed in the corner. One window looked out into the forest. He stepped in, grateful to be out of the chilly air. However, the door suddenly closed on him and he became trapped."

Tidus clapped his hands together and the fire danced wildly, causing Kairi to jump, before simmering down. Selphie was on the edge of her log waiting to hear more.

"The boy banged on the window crying out for help but no one could hear him except…"

"RILEY!" Wakka screamed as he jumped from behind the nearby tree scaring everyone. Selphie fell off her log and landed on her butt. Kairi tripped over her log and covered her head in her arms, quivering. Roxas and Sora yelled as well and almost burned themselves in the fire running away. Riku however, was unstirred.

"Oh man, we got them good Wakka," Tidus laughed out.

"I know brudda. That was classic," he smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, well, you guys haven't heard my story yet," Roxas proudly stated. "It will scare the pants off you."

Sora turned to Kairi and whispered something in her ear. "Not literally though."

Kairi smiled and Roxas began his tale.

"Back at Twilight Town there's this mansion. It's a beautiful mansion, two stories high, painted white. A black gate led into the house closing it off from the woods and people. For those brave explorers who dared see the mansion, let alone venture through the thick woods, only one has come back to tell what he has saw. On the second floor of the mansion, there is a room on the top left hand corner. He said that during random times of the day a young lady with pale vanilla skin, shiny blonde hair and blue eyes would look out that window. She was dressed in all white making her look like a ghost. In fact, he believed she was a ghost. He blinked but the girl was nowhere to be seen. So he went in. He opened the mansion door and stepped into the foyer. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and two doors, on the left and right, led to separate room. In one room was a small office. The other was barricaded by felled timbers and logs. Two staircases were across the room, a balcony, hanging over the exit to the backyard. The man walked up those creaky steps and into the girl's room. She indeed was there sitting down. The room was white and it terrified him. Soon a person dressed in black appeared and the man fell to his knees. He begged for his life…"

"Well, what happened?" Sora asked. "Why'd you stop?"

Roxas took a deep breath before continuing. A smile formed on his face and smirked.

"The man in black dropped his hood to reveal a set of silver hair. The adventurer lifted his head and stared into the orange piercing eyes of his executioner. He gulped and the silver haired man stuck. The adventurer fell back and ran out of the house. Up to this day, no one ever goes up to the mansion anymore, terrified that the so called executioner would be waiting for them."

"Dude, that was weak," Tidus said. He was expecting more, maybe blood, death, fire, something. He scratched his head in disbelief.

"I agree with Tidus," Selphie said as she whacked Roxas on the arm. "That was pretty weak."

Everyone grew tired and they decided to turn in for the night.

Sora took this time to leave the light of the fire and venture off to find a quiet, dark place. He wanted to see the stars again. He walked to the edge of the summit, far from the fire and Selphie. Satisfied with the location, he sat down. In the sky, the stars were twinkling beautifully. He leaned back and rested his head on his arms. He felt an omnipotent aura by being up here. As close as he was to the heavens, he felt at ease. The soft wind whispered in his ear and the smell of the cold, hard, earth was sweet. The sky was clear tonight and the moon was in half crest. Sora could see the whole island from up here. The lights from the city were faint but he could still see them. There was no noise however and that's what Sora appreciated most on nights like these. Sure, he almost died from a bear attack but that was all in the past. He yawned but he didn't want to sleep yet. Who knows, he probably wanted to sleep right there- under the stars and wake to the morning sun. It sounded like a plan. He turned to his side and noticed someone standing there. Using the star's light, he was able to make out a figure of the person, slim, pink pajamas, flowing red hair. Sora broke his stare as the figure moved toward him. He smiled when he noticed it was Kairi.

"Hey angel," Sora whispered.

"I couldn't sleep and I had a feeling you were out here," Kairi replied as she lay down next to him.

Sora kept his eyes glued on the sky.

"It's beautiful out," she commented. Sora nodded, unmoving.

"It's peaceful. It's quiet, serene. The stars…"

At that moment Sora cut her off by placing a finger over her lips. "Shh…" he whispered, staring, solemnly at her face. The moonlight shone over her bluish purple eyes like gloss that lightened their color. Light purple.

Kairi giggled as Sora kissed her cheek. She grew tired and rested her head on his chest. Sora put an arm around Kairi. She could feel his heart beat and she soon fell asleep to the beating rhythm. Sora looked at her and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Tonight, Sora was looking at the two most beautiful things in the world. The stars smiled down on him and Sora too began to feel sleepy. He took the sleeping Kairi in his arms and carried her back to the campsite. He came to her tent that she was sharing with Selphie.

"Selphie. Selphie," Sora whispered. "It's me, Sora. I need your help with something."

Selphie zipped open the tent and noticed Kairi sleeping in Sora's arms.

"She fell asleep," Sora told her.

Selphie moved out the way so Sora could enter the tent. He softly laid her on her sleeping bag and warmly tucked her in. He pulled a fast one by pretending to zip up her bag and kissed her cheek instead. He bade Selphie goodnight and left for his tent.

* * *

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	12. Chapter XI

Disclaimer: I don't own jack.

* * *

**Chapter XI**

Sora woke the next morning. True to form, he did sleep outside. His sleeping bag was coated in dew and leaves were intertwined in his unruly hair. Despite his Wildman appearance, he felt great! He slept to the sound of the twinkling stars and awoke to greet the sun. The dampness he felt on his face was refreshing and he smiled happily. It would be a while before he'd come back up here again but for now, he wanted to enjoy the moment. He rested his head on his arms and looked at the blue sky. There were no clouds and the sun was shining radiantly. He walked to the edge of the summit and looked out once again. The morning dew made the buildings sparkle and shine. It looked like someone placed a giant glass-stained window over the entire town. Sora had never seen anything like this and he humbled himself before this mystery of creation.

"Looks like something from the sci-fi channel," Riku said as he took a seat on one of the logs. "I'm surprised to see you up early for once."

Sora smiled and joined his friend. Riku started a fire and he warmed his hands. It was pretty chilly outside though the sun was out. Both boys were wrapped heavily in coats and long sleeves. Soon the rest of the gang woke up. Roxas stumbled out his tent last, his hair all over the place. He had dark patches under his eyes and he walked groggily to join them.

"Morning Roxas," Sora said. "Sleep well?"

Roxas nodded though he wasn't paying any attention. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Roxas was never a morning person and he was worse than Sora. Sora had afternoon naps to keep him going but Roxas had weird sleeping patterns that even Freud couldn't figure out.

Everyone gathered around the campfire and they ate breakfast. Tidus busted out the poptarts- strawberry flavor, of course and Selphie rummaged through her giant cooler to find the drinks. Poptarts and Kool aid made the perfect breakfast. Roxas cooked his over the fire to warm it up but he accidentally left it over too long and it exploded. A flurry of strawberry jam and frosting exploded everywhere. Roxas laughed hysterically but Selphie quickly shut him with a punch to the arm.

"I really think she hates me," Roxas whispered to Riku.

Riku smiled and nodded his head. "At least she doesn't hate me."

Everyone finished up their breakfast and they moved on to getting ready to leave. Kairi and Riku unhitched the tents while Wakka and Tidus cleaned up the campsite. Sora looked over the map and once everyone was done, he called them over.

"Alright guys. Here's how we're going to get out of here. There's a secondary trail that leads down the other side of the mountain. It's a shortcut."

He traced the trail with his finger so everyone knew where to go. There weren't any relief points on the trail but there were smaller stops. Originally, the trail was only open to professional mountain climbers but over the years, the trail had leveled so everyone was allowed to go down it. The only mark against it was that it was narrow and jagged. The stony walls squeezed you in and the rocky dirt path was rough and uneven. There were a few caves that led into the heart of the mountain so getting lost was always a possibility.

Sora folded his map and readjusted his backpack on his shoulders. He was at the head of the group and everyone followed him. The party made their way to the trail. Sora slipped on the first step and the loose rocks skipped and clanged until they hit the bottom of the mountain. Sora smiled to reassure everyone and kept moving forward. The mountain walls blocked the sun so there wasn't much light, though Sora guessed it was around nine o'clock. The party went on. Everyone gripped the sides of the walls to prevent them from falling. The slope of the trail was hardly anything but the serrated rocks on the ground was everyone's main concern. After fifteen minutes, the group got a hang of what they were doing. Kairi noticed that balance could be improved by swerving from side to side. Roxas was coasting down the mountain like he was on a skateboard but he slipped and fell down the rocky slope before colliding with Selphie.

"Ouch, what did you do that for, you jerk!" Selphie screamed. Everyone held their ears and Selphie got up and slugged Roxas on the arm.

"Aw man, not again," Roxas winced. "I swear. Any more punches and my arm will fall off."

"That serves you right," Selphie said with her arms crossed. "Never mess with Selphie."

"I didn't do anything. I just slipped," Roxas told her. "It's not my fault so quit hitting me."

"I'll stop hitting you once yo-…" Her thought was interrupted as Tidus picked her up and carried her away from Roxas.

"Tidus put me down right this instance," Selphie yelled as she fought to get away. "Don't make me hit you, too."

"No can do, Selphie."

Selphie pouted but lightened up a bit knowing that she didn't have to walk on the hard ground. She didn't approve of this by the way but she was in no position to argue.

Sora smiled amusedly and continued walking. Soon there was a fork on the path. Wakka squinted his eyes to see how far one of the paths would go but his vision was stopped by a bend. Riku wiped his hair out of his eyes and walked along the other path.

"Hey brudda, where are you going?" Wakka asked.

"It's this way."

"How do you know that?" Selphie said with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Calm down Selphie," Tidus told her as he pinched her calf to make her quiet.

"Tidus that's sexual harassment," Selphie screamed as she kicked her legs and shook her arms violently. "You are so dead."

"Do you want me to drop you?" Tidus asked impatiently.

In response, Selphie just folded her arms. She was a long way from the bottom and she didn't feel like walking just yet.

"Good girl," he said, teasingly.

Sora folded up his map and inserted it in his pocket. "Riku's right. It's that way."

-KH-

They continued down the rocky path and the sun was beating heavily on their backs. Sweat drenched their faces and Sora wondered how it got so hot all of a sudden. He turned his head around to check that his friends were still behind him. Selphie, he noticed, was a bit perturbed. Maybe the heat had gotten to her; maybe Roxas was bugging her. Either way, her attitude spoke for the rest of the party. The pace had slowed and Sora feared they wouldn't make it down until the sun set. He was determined to be home as soon as possible but it looks like that wouldn't happen. He habitually looked at the map approximating how long and far it was from the bottom of the mountain.

"Hey guys, I think we'd better rest here. There's no use pushing it now," he called out, his face still buried in the map.

Kairi fell flat on her butt and she rubbed her ankle. It was bothering her for some reason and she blamed it on the rocky dirt path. She felt she had overused it and a bit of burn caused her to grimace. She was indeed thankful for the rest.

Wakka pulled out a water bottle from his backpack. The cold temperature from last night chilled the drink and was refreshing on his tongue. He needed a cold drink to rejuvenate him from the walk and the water hit the spot.

After a fifteen minute rest, Sora got up and threw his backpack over his shoulders. Riku turned his head around and eyed the condition of his friends as he rose to his feet. He knew everyone was tired and Sora was pushing the pace a bit too much. There was no way they'd reach the base of the mountain before nightfall. He hoped Sora knew that.

Kairi fought to stand up but it seemed the status of her ankle worsened from the rest. It stiffened and it felt like dead weight.

"Guys, I can't get up. My ankle is hurting," she cried out. Sora saw she had a look of distress on her face. She gave Sora a small smile and he cursed himself for being too careless earlier. It hurt him to see Kairi in pain but he couldn't do anything about it.

Riku, who was at the front stopped and closed his eyes. 'Dang it, Sora. Now look what happened' he irritably sighed.

Roxas and Wakka helped lift her up but she couldn't put any weight on it. She tried to stand but she immediately fell down like a rag doll. Riku reached into his backpack and pulled out some medical tape. He slipped Kairi's shoe off and slipped off her sock. Gently, he pressed the muscles and bones that surrounded Kairi's left ankle.

"Ouch, Riku that hurts," Kairi cried out.

Riku didn't respond but started to wrap her ankle in the tape. Once he was finished he patted it to test its firmness.

"It's probably a sore muscle but don't move it," he instructed her. He turned to Selphie who had the biggest concerned look on her face. An idea struck in his head and he smiled at her. "I'm sure Sora wouldn't mind helping Kairi down the mountain. Right, Sora?"

Sora's jaw dropped but Kairi flashed him a smile. "Yeah…sure. It's practically my fault she's hurt anyways."

Selphie cooed in her head and she smiled warmly. 'If this doesn't get those two together, then I don't know what will' she thought.

She walked up to the front and walked next to Riku.

"Nice one."

"Of course. What did you expect?"

Sora threw Kairi's arm over his shoulder and he slowly lifted her up. It would have been easier, Sora thought to carry her bridal style, but he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. For now, he had to act like a pair of crutches and keep Kairi's leg supported.

-KH-

Sora lifted his head. Sweat was profusely running down his face and he huffed with each step he took. It was hard labor to support Kairi but he did it invitingly. He loved her so much and he felt his world fall apart because she was injured. Kairi's sweet strawberry scent was enough to will him on and he trudged forward. One misstep though and he tumbled to the ground.

"Oh my…Sora are you alright?" Kairi asked. She was on the ground too but her body laid on top of Sora's back.

Sora slowly pushed himself up and wiped the dirt and grime from his face. His usual, black outfit was dusty and stained with brown dirt.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped," he said. Sora looked forward; everyone was ahead and he and Kairi were really far behind. He didn't have the strength to keep moving and he was well past his limits.

Kairi rolled off Sora's back so she was now looking up at the sky. She crunched her abs and sat up. Her ankle was still hurting and she grew worried.

"Sora, I don't think I can go on any longer. I'm sorry I'm holding you back."

Sora looked at her softly and reached out to grab her hands. "It's alright. I'd rather be stuck with you anytime. Don't worry about it. We'll make it."

Kairi fell forward into his arms and she sobbed. Sora slowly got up and picked her up. He had a job to do and that was to get Kairi to safety. He found a nearby cave and he decided to take Kairi there. It was rather small but at least they were out of the sun. He laid the sobbing Kairi down and placed her head on his backpack.

"Sora? Where are you going?" Kairi asked.

"I'm going to see if I can get help," he told her.

"Don't leave me here."

Sora stopped at the mouth of the cave. He walked back and laid down next to her.

"Alright. I'm not going anywhere."

Kairi smiled and she moved closer to Sora. He threw an arm around her and she rested her head on his chest. Soon she fell asleep.

-KH-

"Hey Kairi. It's me, Sora. Good news. I was able to get you down from the mountain and the rangers were able to get you to a hospital."

Sora paused for a moment and looked at Kairi's face. She was a tad pale and her rosy cheeks weren't as rosy as he remembered them being. Her hand was warm at least.

"Um…the doctors said you fainted and went into a bit of an unconscious state but you're better now."

Kairi just laid there and Sora wondered if she could hear him.

"My mom said that talking to you would make you get better soon. Um…I'm really sorry for what happened. I kind of pushed it too far and I didn't mean for anything like this to happen to you. I love you and I hope you wake up soon."

Sora looked at her one last time. He gave Kairi a small kiss on the cheek before heading out of the room.

-KH-

"Kairi! Kairi! Wake up!"

Kairi stirred.

"Kairi, don't do this to me. Wake up."

Kairi heard the voice but couldn't respond. In her head, she wanted to open her eyes to find out who that voice was coming from.

"Kairi, please."

Kairi's eyes slowly opened. Her vision was a bit blurry and her head was throbbing. She couldn't move her limbs and the bright light hurt her eyes.

"You're awake. Thanks heavens!"

Kairi slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice. Her eyes were half open but she did see a streak of yellow.

"Sora?"

"No, it's me, Selphie! Oh my gosh Kairi don't ever do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack," Selphie said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Where am I?"

"At the hospital."

Kairi closed her eyes again. She was relieved. Selphie then told her how she was knocked out for a few days while doctors performed all these procedures to try to revive her.

The door slid open and in stepped one of the doctors. He was fairly young with medium brown hair that was covered by a surgeon's hat. A stethoscope hung from his neck and he smiled.

"Kairi, it's good to see you have come around. Excuse me, miss, you'll need to step out for a moment. I have to run a test on Kairi before I can admit her from the hospital."

Selphie nodded but gave Kairi one last smile before heading to the lobby.

"You know, I was expecting you to awaken tomorrow," the doctor continued.

Kairi looked at him with tired eyes. She still couldn't do much and she felt like dead weight.

"When you were out, this one boy came in and visiting you everyday. He had brown hair that as all over the place and he stayed here for as long as he could. One time he was here at six in the morning. I truly believe he was the reason why you recovered so fast."

Kairi couldn't believe her ears. That was Sora he was talking about, she was sure of it. Sora saved her.

"He's a good friend, that boy. You're lucky to have him," the doctor concluded as he hung Kairi's medical charts on the wall.

'I guess I am' Kairi giggled in her head before she fell back to sleep.

* * *

This chapter was rushed over because I was trying really hard to finish this after I got back from my vacation a few days ago. I'm sorry for the wait.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	13. Chapter XII

Disclaimer: I Don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

**Chapter XII**

Kairi sat at her desk, her head resting on her hand. Why she came to choir class early, she couldn't fathom but at least time away from Selphie was good. Her annoyance over the past weeks made Kairi want to slap her down but she couldn't do that to her best friend, could she? Kairi sighed as she thought back to recent events. Selphie had been following her and Sora around like a sick puppy. One time she surprised them at Scrooge's by buying them a 'bleeding heartthrob' a vanilla/strawberry sundae drenched in strawberry toppings and red/pink sprinkles. A cherry, of course, was on top. Then there was the time Sora saw his first chick flick. Selphie came out of the movie theatre gushing like she had seen the greatest film of all time. The Titanic had nothing on this movie. Sora was still groggy and barely conscious and he couldn't hear Selphie reenact the plot with Kairi being the damsel in distress and Sora matching wits as Brad Pitt. Kairi blushed at the idea of Sora being Brad Pitt. Sora was quite dashing but Brad Pitt was Brad Pitt. It didn't help that she loved both but Sora, nonetheless, made a pretty good consolation prize. Kairi laughed at herself and looked down at the drawing of Sora she hid in her binder. Little hearts floated around the portrait and 'I love yous' written fine, colorful, cursive served as a border. She was soon snapped out of La-la land as the bell rang and students filed into the classroom. Selphie beamed as she entered the classroom, her eyes pinpointed on her red haired friend.

"Hey Kairi. Why didn't you come back to the table after your went to the restroom?" Selphie asked.

"Oh. There was only five minutes left before the bell would ring so I decided to come here," Kairi answered.

In reality, Kairi wanted to leave before she'd accidentally spill the beans that she and Sora were dating. She'd wanted to climb to the top of the highest mountain and exclaim as loud as she could scream that Sora was hers. No one knew yet. Riku didn't know. Tidus didn't know either; Wakka had no clue. Kairi preferred it that way. It was complicated but Kairi believed it was for the best. But still, it wasn't like she intended to ditch them at lunch. She had given Sora a nod before she left and Sora smiled in understanding. It was their code for "I'm going."

Mr. Sebastian closed the door and pulled up the blinds before he started class. He was Kairi's favorite teacher and one of the best instructors the school had. His goofy nature, hilarious one-liners, and sarcasm were always on display. He loved music and he loved his work.

"Ahem class." Mr. Sebastian cleared his throat as he tapped his music stand with his conductor stick. "I'm pleased and excited to announce that this year's Spring Musicale date has been set."

The students cheered but Mr. Sebastian raised a hand to calm them down. He peered down at his shoes before continuing. "We have three weeks before the show so we have a lot of practicing to do plus I need to decide who will solo and what songs we will sing."

Kairi smiled. Every year, the musicale had always been a hit and Kairi always dreamed of singing in it. She didn't participate last year because she was a freshman and that year's choral class was the best the school had in years. They even took three trips to distant places to sing. The famed choir's picture hung near the doorway and every time Kairi stepped into the room, she was filled with the pressure and excitement of the legacy she and the other singers had to fill. Mr. Sebastian had told them stories of their accomplishments and he joked that it would take another hundred years before another crop like them came along. Kairi scanned around the room, her eyes targeting the best singers in the class. There was Yuna. She was really sweet and soft spoken but when she sang, she sounded like an angel. 'She's really pop star material' Kairi thought. Kairi turned away and her eyes fell on Olette. She had a great voice as well. Kairi turned to face the teacher, her hopes deflated. Everyone in this room had tremendous potential. Selphie could hit high and low notes with ease; Rikku was electrifying, and this other girl, Dagger, was just as good as everyone else. Kairi's thoughts were interrupted by Selphie who was violently shaking her.

"Did you hear that?"

Kairi lifted an eyebrow and shook her head. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to pay any attention to what was happening.

"Solo tryouts are tomorrow afternoon. "Are you going to do it?"

"Yeah," Kairi determinedly said. She eyed Yuna and the rest of the girls as she clenched her fists. She definitely had her work cut out for her.

Mr. Sebastian resumed talking and he informed them that they would have to sell tickets along with band and dance. Kairi and Selphie smiled at the fact that this would be their first time singing in the musicale.

-KH-

The following day felt like a whirlwind to Kairi. Her stomach was tied in knots due to her nervousness and she yawned and dozed through all her classes. She didn't get much sleep last night. Sora was at her bedside most of the night- actually he sat up on the tree that stood near her window. From there, he consoled her and promised that everything would go swell. It also didn't hurt that he brought along his guitar to pacify and lull her to sleep. Still, Kairi found no comfort from last night as she walked to the choir room. The school was practically empty except for clubs and sports teams. They were never a bother, though. Kairi gripped her books tightly and bit her lower lip. She probably should have stashed the books in her locker but she didn't want to lose precious time as she hurried to the tryouts. Her only stop came from down the hall. Peeping through the window, Kairi saw Riku, Sora, Wakka, and Tidus playing their instruments. No doubt they were preparing for the musicale. She also caught a glimpse of their teacher. 'So this must be the famous band room' Kairi thought to herself. She watched the guys practice for a bit though she couldn't hear anything. The thick walls prevented any sounds or distractions from entering the room. Kairi laughed momentarily when the teacher patted Sora on the shoulder making him lose his place. Sora flashed an apologetic smile as he ran his finger over his sheet music to find his spot. A boy with short brown hair shook his head and apparently mouthed something. He struck his drumsticks together to get the band back on track. Kairi quickly left the window and went down the hall to her class. Yuna had just finished and judging by the smile on Mr. Sebastian's face, Kairi knew she had an uphill battle waiting for her. Kairi took a seat near the door. Yuna returned the music and approached her. Yuna was one of Kairi's sweetest friends and it was a bummer that they only had one class together. Yuna wished her a good luck and she quietly left the room.

"Ah, Kairi!" Mr. Sebastian greeted with a bright smile. "I'm hoping you're here for the audition…I've been expecting you."

There was some of that Mr. Sebastian humor. Kairi nodded halfheartedly. Her stomach was going crazy and she left lightheaded. She wanted to faint. Mr. Sebastian pointed at the mini stage and Kairi trudged up and stood in the middle. She felt her sweat run down her forehead and the overhead lights beamed down hotter than the sun. She put up a hand to shield her eyes as she cleared her throat. Mr. Sebastian's assistant, Urchin, came up and handed her the song lyrics.

"Here ya go, Kairi," the boy said. "Just sing the first verse and chorus and that'll be it. I'll play it through a few times so you can get a feel for it."

Kairi looked down at the lyrics and licked her lips. She knew the song fairly well but it hadn't raised her confidence. She looked back at the boy who gave her an assuring smile. Kairi reasoned that he couldn't be any older than she was. He was quite young to be a musical assistant but no one ever dared to ask him anything about his background. All she knew was that Urchin had somewhat of a free spirit that occasionally got him into trouble. Still, Sebastian never got upset and never infringed on whatever the boy was doing. Urchin took a seat on the piano bench and counted off before he played. When he was done, he turned his attention to Kairi who signaled back an 'ok.' Urchin then signaled to Mr. Sebastian before playing again. Kairi began to sing, her voice tuned perfectly with the piano. Urchin pricked up his ears in astonishment. Never in his young life had he ever encountered a voice quite like this one. It was melodic, sweet, and soft. It was beautiful but with a kick to it. Mr. Sebastian motioned for him to stop playing. Kairi, though, kept on singing, oblivious to her nerves and unaware of the stoppage of music. Mr. Sebastian sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He literally could have drifted asleep. Kairi abruptly ended the song after sometime and Urchin jumped out of his seat.

"Oh. I'm really sorry," Kairi apologized. "I guess I shouldn't have ended the song yet."

Mr. Sebastian stood up his face stoic and hard. Kairi bowed her head and shut her eyes. She expected the worst but nothing prepared her for when he started clapping. His smile returned to his face and summoned her forward.

"That was wonderful my dear," Mr. Sebastian complimented, "not even insert famous singer here could have sang it any better."

Kairi blushed and quickly bowed again before leaving the room. She could hardly control her excitement. Her gut told her that she had gotten the partt; her mind warned her about overconfidence. Above all, she was pretty drained and getting home was her top priority now. She erased all thoughts about the musicale and singing from her mind. It wouldn't do any good to worry. It was done.

-KH-

Sora sat up on his bed, his guitar resting next to him. He was still tired from last night and his fingers felt like they were about to break off. Sora tossed aside his sheet music and he sighed.

"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought," he complained.

Sora had to play three songs for the Musicale. Two were jazz types and the last one was a pop song that he had never heard before. All he knew was that someone from choir was singing this song. Sora had hoped it would be Kairi singing it but he had no time to play the guessing game. These songs were kicking his butt and he had to learn them as soon as possible. As much as Sora appreciated jazz, he had a hard time playing the songs. If it wasn't the counts bothering him, it was the tempo that threw him off. His metronome didn't help at all. Sora rested his head on his arms and stared at the ceiling. At least he wasn't in Tidus' position. Earlier this week, he had persuaded Tidus to take the lead guitar parts. He argued that Tidus was a better soloist and their conductor immediately agreed. Still, this didn't make Sora's job any easier. He decided he needed a break and he went to his phone and started dialing.

Back at Kairi's house, the phone rang loudly. Kairi jumped off the couch and answered it.

"Hey Kairi. It's Sora. I was kind of wondering if you're not busy today…do you want to hang out somewhere, like at the beach or something. Maybe watch a movie or get something to eat?"

"Sora. Are you asking me out?"

"No. I'm asking you if you want to hang out," Sora playfully answered.

Kairi giggled. "Sure, Sora. I'd love to _hang out_ with you."

"Sweet! I'll be over at your place in five minutes. Is that fine with you?"

Kairi glanced at the clock. "Could you come in half an hour?"

"Ok." Sora hung up and hopped in the shower.

-KH-

A mysterious figure pulled out the pair of binoculars from the window that was facing Kairi's house. The room was utterly dark and the only source of light came from the machines that the person was using. The mysterious person jumped behind the couch and disconnected the earplugs from the telephone, first hanging up the receiver. Once the earplugs were disconnected, the person turned off the spy gear and broke the satellite links. Twirling a screwdriver, the person reattached the phone jack to the wall and screwed in the safety electric outlets. This person was a professional at the craft and never left any traces behind. Using a flashlight, the person made their way into the garage and went to find the circuit breakers. Luckily, the box was still open and with a flip of a few switches, the lights returned to the whole house.

Phone tapping was illegal but Sora and Kairi being apart was a bigger crime. The person smiled victoriously before whipping out a walkie-talkie.

"Silver Falcon. This is Mother Goose. I have heard that Kairi and Sora will be _hanging out_ today, over."

Silver Falcon mumbled something obscure while Mother Goose kept on talking.

"It's time to do some spying."

* * *

Thanks for reading.

I'm currently writing up the next chapter as you read. That's great, I know. But I'm kind of stuck. I have this little fluffy scene that I'm working on and I need some help. I've been floundered by reviews that demand more fluff and I intend to give more fluff. So this is where you, my wonderful, awesome readers come in. I need you to help finish this part for me:

_Kairi moved closer to Sora and rested her hand on his chest. She began to sing again using Sora's heartbeat as a metronome. When she finished she snuggled into Sora's inviting arms. He tightened his grip on her never wanting to let her go. To him, she was the embodiment of perfection. He looked down at her glistening innocent eyes. They were wonderful, full of love and care. Looking into those eyes, Sora saw his reflection. He saw the luckiest person alive. Kairi lifted her chin and locked her lips with Sora's._

Your job is simple. Edit it, revise it, finish it. I need something after "Kairi lifted her chin and locked her lips with Sora's." When you're done, message your completed work back to me and if it's brilliant (which I'm sure it will be), I'll use it. I'll pick the best one. I do exercise the right to edit your entry due to language, grammar, etc. Thanks for helping me out you guys!

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	14. Chapter XIII

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except this story. The characters and all that jazz belong to Disney and all that jazz. I'm making up all the stuff from High School Musical 3 since I haven't seen it and it's not out in theatres yet.

* * *

**Chapter XIII**

Sora rang the doorbell of Kairi's house. He figured it had been 30 minutes and he wondered if she was ready. Kairi opened the door and greeted him with a bright smile.

"Sora! Hey, so what are going to do today?" she asked as she stepped out onto the porch and sat down on the railing.

"Well, I don't know. I just wanted to get out of the house. I've been working on those songs for the musicale and I felt like I needed to get away."

"Southwest," Kairi giggled.

"Huh?"

"You know the airlines…wanna get away?"

"Oh. Southwest. Right. They're my dad's rival company. He works with gummi blocks and gummi ships."

"Is that why your dad is never home most of the time? Is he a pilot?"

"No. He's a sales manager or something like that. He's working at Twilight Town I think or Traverse Town, one of those."

Kairi laughed. It was clear that Sora's brain wasn't working all too well and watching him struggle to get the facts right were kind of cute, in a confused little duckling sort of way.

"You wanna go watch a movie?" Kairi suggested.

"Oh no. It had better not be a chick flick or anything like that," Sora protested as he threw his hands out in front of him. "I don't know if I can sit through another one of those things. They're murder!"

"Pipe down you bum. We're not going to watch a chick flick. We're going to watch High School Musical 3!"

Sora just stood there stunned. 'Musical…You have got to be kidding me' he thought.

"I wanted to get away from music," Sora whined. It wasn't fair.

Kairi looked at him with puppy dog eyes and Sora hung his head defeated. He couldn't say no to Kairi and he definitely couldn't say no to her especially when she had puppy dog eyes. It wasn't fair.

"Ahh, phooey," Sora sighed. "Fine…we'll watch it."

"Yay," Kairi squealed as she jumped up and down from excitement.

-KH-

"You know Selphie this has got to be one of the worst ideas you've ever had," Riku told her.

They were on the roof- Kairi's roof to be exact and they just overheard everything that Sora and Kairi said.

"Shut up," Selphie sternly said as she slugged her silver haired friend in the arm. Her punches were getting stronger due to all the target practice she had with Roxas. Riku didn't flinch but he knew that he'd feel the bruise in the morning. He was no weakling like that weak sauce, Roxas that's for sure.

"Come on, Riku. We're going to the movies."

They climbed down the roof via water pipe. Selphie reached into her purse and produced a walkie-talkie, binoculars, and a digital camera.

"Here you go, Riku. You'll be up ahead since you move faster. Keep me updated and take a lot of pictures. I want to remember this day."

"Right and what are you going to do?"

"I am going to be behind them, silly."

She rolled her eyes at her assistant and looked out from behind the trash can they were hiding behind.

"Ok. Riku, now is your chance."

She turned to him but found that he was gone.

"How did he…?"

-KH-

Sora and Kairi walked together down the street. The sun was up but it wasn't hot yet. A ticker bar showed that it was only ten o'clock in the morning and the weather was down to 73 degrees. A slight wind blew through the air and Sora took a deep breath. It was good to be out of his room. His fingers were stiff and aching; the blisters and calluses were beginning to open up on his fingertips. Sora was a bonafide shredder but, ironically, he did have a soft touch. He played the guitar with a fiery passion that made the guitar sing melodically. Too bad, he hit an all-time low. Those jazz notes refused to be played; the singing sounded more like a defiant shrill and he wished he could make it stop.

Kairi nudged his arm forcing him to snap out of his thoughts. They were already at the movie theatre and Sora couldn't believe how fast they got there. They filed in line behind a few other people and waited their turn. The line slowly moved and Kairi noticed that more and more people were gathering behind them. She saw that the line stretched out pretty far. 'They must really want to watch High School Musical 3' she laughed in her head. Finally Sora and Kairi were next in line.

"I can help the next person in line," a girl called from behind the booth.

"Yeah, uh…two students for High School Musical 3," Sora embarrassedly whispered. His face was red as a tomato and he prayed that no one he knew saw him.

"What was that?"

"High School Musical 3," Sora answered a bit louder.

The employee looked at Sora weirdly but then she saw Kairi nodding approvingly. She smiled at her before turning to Sora.

"Why didn't you say so?" the employee humorously laughed. "Here you go you two love birds."

Sora was about to say something back but Kairi grabbed his arm and dragged him into the movie theatres.

Riku smiled as he dropped the camera. Selphie would love this, he knew.

"Mother Goose, this is Silver Falcon, over."

"What is it, Riku?" Selphie irritably answered.

"I got something you might like, something that you'd love to get your hands on."

"Candy?"

"No, but it is sweet."

"Riku, I'm not any good at riddles. Just tell me."

However, no answer came. Selphie looked up at the roof of the theatre where Riku was but he wasn't there anymore.

"How does he do that?" Selphie amazedly muttered to herself.

-KH-

The theatre was completely dark by the time Sora and Kairi entered. The previews were still showing and Kairi was pleased that they haven't missed anything. Sora, on the other hand, was quite pleased with his haul. In his right arm he cradled a large- make that an extra large bucket of popcorn doused in butter. A large soft drink was in his hand and boxed candies and sweets- licorice, gummy bears, M&M's, stuffed his pockets. Kairi found a seat near the middle of the theatre and Sora sat down next to her.

"Popcorn?" Sora asked.

Kairi giggled and she squeezed Sora's arm. He bought a lot of food but she didn't mind. After all, Sora was a growing boy and if his mouth was full with popcorn, he wouldn't be able to complain about the movie.

The beginning credits began to flash on the screen and Kairi sighed as she saw Vanessa Hudgen's name on the screen. She had doubts that she wouldn't be in this movie due to that one incident and High School Musical wouldn't be the same without her in it. Sora began shoveling popcorn and candies in his mouth as he leaned back in his seat. He had a feeling this movie was going to take a while and he braced himself for it.

"Oh my gosh, Zac is such a hottie," Kairi said to herself as Troy Bolton made his first on camera appearance.

Sora munched on his popcorn, a looked of pure hatred and jealously on his face. He turned to Kairi who laughed at his expression. Popcorn crumbs hung from the side of his face and his cheeks were puffy due to all the food in his mouth.

"Oh stop being such a baby, Sora," Kairi whispered playfully in his ear. "You know I love you."

Sora slouched in his seat and crossed his arms.

Behind them, Riku and Selphie looked at each other like they were about to laugh out hysterically. Selphie coughed a few times trying to hold in her laughter but caused such a commotion that she ran wildly out of the movie.

"Was that Selphie?" Sora asked Kairi.

"I don't know. It's too dark to see anything."

Riku shook his head and massaged his forehead.

-KH-

Sora and Kairi walked out of the theatre. Kairi was all smiles but Sora had a slight tinge of confusion on his face.

'Was that Selphie?' he asked himself.

It sure looked like her but he wasn't so sure. It didn't matter anyways and he shrugged it off.

"Hey Sora, what was your favorite part of the movie?" Kairi asked him.

"Um…the part when…he said that one joke," Sora said.

He had no clue what he was saying. His mind had been off the movie ever since Kairi rested her head on his shoulder.

_Flashback_

Troy (Zac Effron) and Chad (Corbin Bleu) were laughing about something but Sora couldn't concentrate because at that instant, Kairi lifted the armrest. Now Sora would have been mad as a bull because his drink was on that armrest but when Kairi rested her head on his shoulder, his drink was soon forgotten. He looked at Kairi but her eyes were still glued to the giant screen. He smiled softly and though it was really dark, he could picture her angelic face and bluish eyes.

Sora wrapped an arm around Kairi's waist pulling her closer to him. Kairi snuggled closer to him and Sora felt like he was going to faint. Sora gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he went back to munching on his popcorn. They stayed like that until the movie was over.

_End flashback_

That certainly was the highlight of Sora's day.

"Uh…what was your favorite part of the movie?" he immediately asked her before Kairi could get angry at his half-baked answer.

"I liked the whole thing," Kairi proudly replied.

"Sure you did," Sora said. "Tell me, was that before or after you fell asleep on my shoulder?"

Kairi pursed her lips and she chased after Sora. Sora bolted into a run trying to get away. When Kairi was angry, her punches hit harder than Selphie's. Kairi chased him all around the block. Sora dove under tables, hurdled over chairs and benches, and even managed to slip into a nearby alley.

"Where'd he go?" Kairi mouthed to herself as she looked in the alley.

There were garbage cans everywhere and a giant brick wall sealed off the far side. Sora was trapped. Kairi heard something and she immediately pounced behind one of the trashcans to find a dirty little rat squeak at her. Kairi shrieked and she jumped back, running out of the alley.

"Got cha," Sora said as she collided into him.

He gripped her in a bear hug and she struggled to free herself. Kairi didn't put up much of a fight instead opting to stay in his arms.

"Feel better?"

Kairi nodded like a little kid and Sora loosened his grip on her.

"Are you done hitting me now?"

Kairi again nodded.

"Good. Let's get out of here before any more rats come after you."

Sora laughed and Kairi slugged him on the arm.

-KH-

Kairi followed Sora throughout the town. It was clearly past Kairi's lunchtime and her stomach growled for attention. She placed a hand over her tummy as she hurried to keep up with Sora.

"Sora, where are we going?"

"This one place…don't worry Kairi, it's only one more block to go," he assured her.

Kairi's stomach grumbled disapprovingly and she giggled.

'Looks like I'm not the only one' she thought.

The sun was fully out of the clouds and its rays beat down on the island harshly. Sora and Kairi passed a pawn shop, tailor, Laundromat, and barber shop before Sora slowed down his pace. A sign that read Jack's Bistro in bold green letter hung above him.

"Here we are," Sora excitedly said.

Kairi looked at the entrance. Aside from the sign up above them, there was a red carpet that led up to two opaque swinging doors. A red building canopy tied everything together and antique golden street lamps surrounded the perimeter of the canopy. Kairi stood there taking it all in. She feared the restaurant was formal and she looked at her clothing and frowned.

"We're eating here?" Kairi asked hoping Sora would say no.

"Yeah. I come here all the time. The food is great."

"But isn't this a fancy restaurant?"

Sora laughed.

"Only the outside. Come on let's go in. I'm starving."

Kairi's stomach growled in approval and she rolled her eyes. 'Traitor.'

"How many in your party, young sir?" a man dressed in a black tux asked at the front. He had a towel draped over his arm and menus in his hand. A flower was pinned on his jacket and a black handkerchief hung from his pocket.

"Two," Sora answered.

The man extended his arm and led the way. He maneuvered quickly past waitresses and waiters, stepping around tables before stopping at a table set for two by the window. Kairi struggled to keep up and on countless occasions, she almost ran into tables, chairs- anything that stood in her way. Sora laughed as he followed the waiter obviously used to all the twists and turns.

Sora pulled out a chair.

"For you," he said with his boyish smile on.

Kairi giggled at Sora's attempt of chivalry and she gracefully sat down. Sora took the seat across from her.

"Might I suggest the bruschetta?" the waiter suggested.

Sora glanced at Kairi who shook her head.

"I think we'll just go straight for the main dishes," she answered.

"Very well then," the man smiled. "Would you like to order now or shall I come back in a few minutes?"

"Please," Sora said as he grabbed one of the menus.

"Is there anything I can get you to drink for now?"

"I'll take a pink lemonade," Kairi replied.

"Um…water for me. Oh! Shaken not stirred," Sora smiled.

"Of course, James."

With that the waiter left the table.

"James?"

"I've always wanted to say that," Sora admitted. "You know, I really wanted to try their bruschetta."

"It's alright. I want to save room for desert though."

"What kind of desert?"

"Your lips," Kairi flirtatiously answered.

After a few minutes, the waiter came back. In his hand was a pen and paper.

"Ready to order?"

Sora smiled at Kairi and tilted his head toward the waiter.

"Oh. Yeah. I'll have the Chef's Salad."

"Italian dressing?"

"Sure."

"And for you sir? I'm guessing you'll want the usual Grilled Portabella Mushroom & Chicken Sandwich with extra tomatoes."

Sora smiled and nodded his head. He'd been here so many times and soon all the waiters/waitresses knew his order by heart, down to the last tomato.

The man took the menus and walked into the kitchen.

"I didn't know you come here?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah. I've always came here. I don't know why though but it's like home to me."

Their food came and Kairi hungrily dug into her salad. Sora laughed when he found some traces of Italian dressing hanging on her bottom lip. They finished their lunch and Sora graciously covered the bill. Fortunately for him, his pants were falling anymore and it wasn't because of the food! The waiter thanked them and he winked at Sora before he left.

It was around three in the afternoon so Sora decided to take Kairi out for a walk. He could burn some of those calories off in the meantime. He led her further uptown to a place Kairi didn't know of. Being a rural area, it was totally different from the bustling, busy mainland. There were lots of trees that lined the road, provided them with ample shade and coolness. Sora sat down on a bench by the river.

"It's nice here," Kairi said. "It's quiet."

"Yeah. I normally come here to think and…"

"Sleep," Kairi cut him off.

"Exactly. I never sleep down by the beach anymore because there are so many people but here it's quiet. I could get as much sleep as I want. Plus it's by water so it's kind of like the beach."

Sora got and laid down on the freshly cut green grass and rested his hands on his arms. He yawned. Kairi giggled. This was your typical Sora. He was a lazy bum and sleep was his favorite hobby. Sure, he enjoyed stick fights with Riku every now and then or even gazing at the stars but sleeping was number one, except for Kairi, that is.

Kairi lay down next to him and she began singing. Sora closed his eyes and just let his girlfriend's melodic voice lull him to sleep. Kairi's voice was one of a kind. It was sweet but powerful, harmonious with a bit of an edge. Sora didn't dare go to sleep now. He loved to hear her sing and he was saddened when she stopped.

"Kai…"

Kairi cut him off by placing a finger over his lips.

"Ah…"

She moved closer to him and rested her hand on his chest. She began to sing again using Sora's heartbeat as a metronome. When she finished she snuggled into Sora's inviting arms. He tightened his grip on her never wanting to let her go. To him, she was the embodiment of perfection. He looked down at her glistening innocent eyes. They were wonderful, full of love and care. Looking into those eyes, Sora saw his reflection. He saw the luckiest person alive. Kairi lifted her chin and locked her lips with Sora's.

Several moments passed between them in silence, both of them absorbed in the breathtaking moment before Kairi slowly pulled away. After another moment of the two of them catching their breath she opened her eyes to look at him. Their gazes locked and she realized that he was blushing slightly, sporting a small, coy smile at the same time.

"That was..."

"...I know," she replied softly, finishing his half-formed sentence simply with a small smile of her own.

He lifted one hand to her face, slowly tucking her hair behind her ears before she caught his lips again and they sunk back into each other's warmth, perfectly content. As such, they found themselves reasonably unaware of the slight rustling in the bushes off to their right. They broke apart, Kairi giving a short yelp, as Selphie jumped out at them and held up her hand in a comical position, her other on her hip. Her expression was tragically victorious as she took them both in before giving out a delighted squeal and exclaiming at the top of her lungs.

""I KNEW IT!"

Sora and Kairi exchanged surprised, not to mention slightly fearful, glances before looking back to the brunette girl quickly. Then Sora placed one hand behind his head, feeling slightly awkward.

"Uh... Well this is..."

He trailed off uncertainly for a moment before Selphie opened her mouth, clearly prepared to shout her discovery out to the world at the top of her lungs. Next moment, Kairi's hand had snapped the girl's mouth shut and was making sure it stayed that way, said redhead looking  
slightly panicked. Sora merely quirked an eyebrow.

"May I lend some duct tape to your cause?"

"Oh, yes. Yes you may," Kairi replied simply. Selphie gave him a questioning and reproachful look, only to have him shrug.

"Don't ask," he said, snapping off enough tape to cover the girl's mouth before he took Kairi's hand and began pushing Selphie towards his house.

"I think we need to have a little talk, Selph."

She only gave a muffled shout in reply.

Behind the bush, a few flashes went off. Riku held a hand over his mouth to contain his laughter and pride in his spiky haired friend, nonetheless.

* * *

I'd like to thank **RockCityRoadStar** for the help and to those who also lended their support and ideas. **Carxuan**, **Kyte17**, **chickenman00712**, I felt I had to mention you guys here. I couldn't have done it without you all and I can't thank you enough.

Okay you guys, you wanted more fluff, and well, there it is. In your face; all over the place.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	15. Chapter XIV

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts I or II. I definitely don't own the song, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship. M.Y.M.P. did an acoustic cover of the song and I don't own rights to it either.

M.Y.M.P? Yes, I am Filipino.

* * *

**Chapter XIV**

Sora and Kairi escorted Selphie back to the mainland. Sora had her in an arm wrenching hold and he refused to let go. Struggling only made things more difficult for Selphie and she found herself short of breath. Duct tape was still plastered over her mouth but her whining and muffled cries still had not ceased. They came to Sora's door and he rummaged through his pockets for his keys. He opened the door and held it open for the girls to step through.

"Sit Selphie," Kairi ordered.

Selphie plopped on the couch, perturbed by her friend's bossiness.

"If anyone's going to do the bossing around here, it's going to be me," Selphie murmured.

Kairi ripped the tape over Selphie's mouth and she cried out in pain.

"Ow Kairi. What are you trying to do, rip my lips off?"

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Kairi deviously answered as she took the roll of duct tape from Sora.

Selphie's eyes widened in fear. Walking around town not being able to talk was torture for her. She wanted to shout and coo and tell everyone that Sora and Kairi were an item and that honor was taken away from her. To make matters worse, she was cooped in a house and at the full mercy of her devil-red haired friend and boyfriend who had four inch spikes- scratch that, five inch spikes for hair. Selphie looked into the icy, cold blue eyes of her captors. She felt her spine tingle.

Kairi took a seat across from her and the interrogation began.

"I'm not saying anything," Selphie blurted out before Kairi could begin talking.

"Were you spying on us?" Kairi immediately asked as if she had not heard what her friend had said.

"I'm not talking," Selphie snobbishly answered.

She was too proud to break and her eyes narrowed in on Kairi. A smirk covered her face as she reclined back into the seat.

Kairi smiled victoriously as she turned to Sora.

"Sweetie, do you have any gummi bears?" Kairi asked pleasantly.

Sora dug through his pantry and handed Kairi a bag of assorted bears.

"You know, I don't think now is the right time for a snack," Sora told her.

Kairi thanked him and tore open the package. She neatly picked out a red bear looking at it with a sudden interest. She plopped it into her mouth. Selphie furrowed her eyebrows trying to figure out what Kairi was thinking.

"You know, I've always loved gummi bears," Kairi said when she finished swallowing. "They taste so good."

She picked out a yellow one and played with it.

"Tell me, Selphie. Were you spying on us?"

Selphie shook her head.

'If Kairi thinks she could tempt me with delicious, mouth watering, sweet, two for one munny gummi bears, she'll be sadly mistaken' Selphie told herself. 'Besides, sour gummi bears are way better.'

Kairi ripped the head off the bear and placed it on a plate. Selphie eyed her disgustingly. How dare she do that? She wanted to slap Kairi down for candy animal abuse. They were made to be eaten and enjoyed, not for decapitating.

"Answer the question," Kairi sternly said.

"No."

Kairi ripped out the bear's arm. Selphie clenched her teeth in anger as she sat up.

"Well?"

Selphie defiantly shook her head. Kairi responded by taking off the other arm. Sweat began to pour down Selphie's face as she struggled to hold her tongue.

"Ready to talk now?"

Selphie didn't answer. She looked down at the ground, pitiful and appalled.

"Were you spying on us?" Kairi again asked. She sounded like a broken record and Selphie was on repeat the whole time.

Kairi's patience hadn't worn down and she probably could have done this all day. She looked at the plate that held the torn body parts of the bear.

"Maybe," Selphie muttered.

"Good," Kairi softly said as she ripped off a leg.

"What did you do that for?" Selphie emphatically screamed. Kairi could hear the desperate tone in her voice and she grew restless.

"Maybe isn't the right answer."

"Come on, Kairi. I was never good with questions," Selphie argued.

Kairi tore the last leg off the bear and showed it to Selphie who began to cry. She fell to the floor and took the remnants of the bear and tried to piece them together. However it was no use and she dropped her head, defeated.

"I-I was spying on you," she admitted as she dried her eyes.

Kairi helped her to her feet and embraced her in a hug.

"I'm sorry Selph."

Selphie blew her nose a few times before take the candy bag from Kairi. She turned to Sora.

"Could I have these?"

"Sure."

Selphie poured the bears in her mouth, disposing of them like a garbage truck. She swallowed the last bear before she smiled triumphantly.

"I still think you two make a cute couple."

_Later that night…_

Selphie hopped on the phone, a wave of excitement flowed through her and she hurriedly picked up the receiver of her phone. Her fingers worked over the buttons like magic and within seconds the other line was ringing.

Riku laid on his bed tired from practicing his bass. His fingers were hurting to the bone and he turned off his amp. He still hadn't heard from Selphie on how Sora and Kairi's date went and a smile came on his face as he remembered how they carried her off, duct tape and all. His phone rang and he answered.

"Hello?"

"Riku, it's Selphie," the girl enthusiastically screamed.

"I know…"

"Well…I got news for you. Sora and Kairi are dating now. Oh my gosh, they are so cute together!"

"Good for Sora. Finally, I thought that guy had turned gay or something."

"Wait, WHAT!? Sora's not gay!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"…Yeah."

"Right and my hair is grey…"

"It is, isn't it?"

"No. It's silver. Hold on, I have a call waiting on the other line."

Riku put Selphie on hold and attended to the next call.

"Riku here."

"Hey Riku, it's Tidus."

"Hey man, what's going on?"

"I was wondering if you could ask you for a favor."

"Go for it."

"I was wondering if you could ask Sora if he could trade parts with me for the musical. Being the lead guitarist bites."

"No can do. Our teacher gave you that part and from the looks of it, Sora's struggling with his part as well. But did you know that Sora and Kairi are going out now?"

"Our Sora?"

"Yeah. I didn't believe it either until Selphie told me."

"Sweet deal. Hold on for a second. I got to make a call."

Tidus put Riku on hold and dialed his orange haired friend's number.

"Talk to me brudda," Wakka greeted.

"Yo, Wakka. Sora and Kairi are going out. I just heard from Riku who heard from Selphie."

"About time and you owe me one hundred munny. A bet's a bet."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"So…when did Selphie find out?" Wakka asked.

"Hold on let me ask Riku. He's on the other line."

"Riku."

"Yeah."

"When did Selphie find out that Sora and Kairi were going out?" he asked his friend.

"Today."

"Wakka," Tidus said as he synced up with his best bud. "Selphie found out today."

"Nice man."

"I know."

"Alright. Hold on for a bit."

Roxas was fumbling around his kitchen for something to eat. His stomach was growling and he didn't even bother to touch the tuna casserole that was on the table. He didn't like tuna but he did fancy bass. His phone rang and Roxas poked his head out of the refrigerator and answered it.

"Hello."

"Hey Roxas. I got good news man. Kairi and Sora are going out, ya know," Wakka informed him.

"Sora and that one chick who punches people?"

"No. That's Selphie. Kairi is the red headed girl, ya know."

"Oh yeah. Her. Didn't Sora have like a giant crush on her and practically everyone knew about it?"

"Yeah."

"Nice."

"Well, I got Tidus on the other line so I'll catch you later."

Roxas hung up the phone and went back to finding more food.

-KH-

After school practices were killer for Sora. On Monday, practice was from three till five. In those short two hours, their conductor drilled them intensively. Never before had Sora's fingers ever hurt this badly. It pained him to flex his hand and the strain on from pressing on the strings made his forearm ache. His ears also took a beating. They rang and rang and the only remedy he could find was blasting his music to drown out the sound. However, it only made matters worse.

Wednesdays weren't as bad but they still had a lot of work to accomplish. This was many of the students' favorite day because their conductor didn't make them practice hard. Tidus would have to disagree. This day was spent in heavy labor for him. Their instructor had him play and play until his hand would bleed, literally. The day was also spent for individual practices for those who couldn't get a hang of the tempo or rests or what have they.

Friday was Sora's favorite day. He'd practice in Mr. Sebastian's room along with Kairi. Ever since he found out that she was singing the solo, he begged to play alongside her while she sang. Mr. Sebastian instantly agreed. He handed Sora the sheet music and Sora noticed that there was supposed to be two singers for this song.

"I originally wanted Kairi to sing by herself but she really wanted to sing this song instead. I couldn't argue with her and I wanted to ask if you wanted to sing this song as well," he told Sora. "I'm sure Kairi would agree."

Sora looked over the music and played it, feeling out the song. A few minutes passed by before he made his decision.

"Sure. I'll do it."

"Splendid. Urchin will accompany you on piano."

Urchin gave Sora a grin before sitting behind the grand piano. Sora counted out the beats and began playing.

"Uh, Sora," Kairi whispered in his ear. "You're singing first."

-KH-

Finally the day of the Spring Musicale had arrived. Kairi was excited as a bee but she knew she'd be filled with nervousness in a few hours. She made her way downstairs where her mom was waiting for her.

"Today is the day. I am so excited. My baby girl is going to be a star," her mom sang as she filled a plate with eggs and bacon. "Eat up Kairi; you'll need your energy."

Kairi sat down at the table and began to fill her mouth with fluffy eggs. The bacon tasted exquisite this morning. She had always known that her mom cooked better on special days. However, Kairi wished her mom cooked like this everyday. She finished her breakfast and went upstairs to get ready. Her clothes were already laid out on her dresser from last night and after a quick shower, she was ready to roll. The doorbell rang and Kairi's mom answered it.

"Oh hey Sora. Are you here for me or Kairi?" she asked.

"Hm…I was here for Kairi but…"

"Mom, stop flirting with my boyfriend," Kairi playfully said as she made her way to the door.

She slipped on her shoes and stood next to Sora on the porch. She grabbed his hand and said goodbye to her mom.

"Have a great day dear and Sora, take care of my little princess. If someone tries to make a move on her…"

"Deck him," Sora answered.

"Right and if someone is irritating her…"

"Deck him!"

"And if…"

"Deck him!" Sora enthusiastically chanted.

Sora grinned as Kairi slugged him on the arm. Her mom was so embarrassing sometimes.

"Come on. Let's go Sora."

She grabbed his neck tie and dragged him like a puppy to school.

"Hey! Are you trying to snap my head off?"

His neck was stiff and it cracked when he moved his head in circles.

"That's better."

"KAIRI!"

"Hey Selphie."

"Are you ready for tonight? It's going to be great. I can't wait."

Kairi giggled. She could tell that Selphie had sugary cereal again.

"Yes. I am. I'm excited too."

The bell rang and Kairi slipped her hand on Sora's tie. She pulled his head closer to her and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"I'll see you in chem class," she flirtatiously said while she played with his tie.

With that, Kairi went into her math class.

Sora walked back to his chemistry class and the long day began.

-KH-

Finally the bell rang signaling the end of the day. Sora and Kairi immediately went home to get ready for tonight. Sora jumped on his bed and practiced for a bit. He warmed up his fingers and played a few scales to loosen up. Tonight was going to be interesting. After he finished playing his guitar, he packed it into his case followed by his sheet music and guitar picks. He dusted off his amp and threw the wires in the compartment. His black suit hung on his door knob and he passed it on the way downstairs.

"Hi Sora," his mom greeted. "Ready for tonight?"

"Almost. I just need to pack dad's guitar."

When Sora finished packing everything into his mom's car, it was already five. He still had time before he had to report to school at 6:30. He turned on the TV and watched a snippet of a cartoon while eating his dinner. Afterwards, he brushed his teeth and hopped in the shower. Once he was squeaky clean, he dressed in his black suit. He didn't bother with his hair since no amount of gel could tame his spikes. Time was against him now since he overshot his shower time. He rushed downstairs while he tied on his tie. It didn't matter if it was straight or not; he'd have time to fix it before the concert. He tied on his shoes and followed his mom to the car.

"You look great hunny but your tie isn't straight."

-KH-

Sora was dropped off behind the auditorium and he noticed that almost everyone was there. He dragged his equipment backstage where Riku, Tidus, and Wakka were lounging.

"Hey guys," Sora greeted as he dropped his stuff.

"Ready to go?" Tidus asked.

"I guess."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine."

Sora decided to go for a quick walk outside. It was crowded backstage and he felt he needed some air. He couldn't find Kairi anywhere and he guessed she was probably with her choir mates getting ready. There was a line waiting around the front of the auditorium as people waited to buy their ticket. Sora noticed a few people in line. His mom, Scrooge, and even some people he recognized all over town were there. A bright sign that was at the front of the parking lot that illuminated the night sky and it drew many people here.

'Wow. It's probably going to be packed tonight' Sora guessed.

He made his way backstage where his conductor was rallying the band.

"Guys, over here. Can I have your attention?"

Everyone turned to him and he cleared his throat to speak.

"I just wanted to wish you guys good luck out there. You all worked hard for this moment and I'm very proud of all of you."

He looked around at the smiling faces before him and he continued his little speech.

"Um…dance will be up first, then choir. When they finish their first song, I want all your equipment on deck ready to go. All your plugs and extension should be in and hooked up to your amps."

He finished talking and retreated outside.

Clapping could be heard and Sora leaned his ear to the curtain. The principal was addressing everyone and the dance unit went out. Music blared from the speakers as the dancers moved gracefully on the stage. They drew a few oohs and aahs and the crowd applauded loudly when they finished their first dance. The dancers bowed and moved on to their last dance of the night. Sora poked his head from the side of the stage to watch them. They moved beautifully and he nodded his head in approval. They were really good and Sora knew they practiced a lot to get the complicated routines down.

The dancers walked off stage and the principal called for a short intermission. Everyone flooded the refreshments table and the restrooms were fully occupied. After fifteen minutes everyone gathered back into their seats to await the next performance. The principal came out and introduced Mr. Sebastian, the choir director.

"It's a pleasure to be here tonight. As principal Yen Sid just said, I am Mr. Sebastian, the choir director. These kids have put in long hours of work to prepare for this and I hope you enjoy it."

The crowd clapped and the red curtain was lifted to show the outlines for 24 of Destiny High's most talented singers. A spotlight flashed on them and Sora found Kairi in the middle. Her red hair was unmistakable. Music began to play and Mr. Sebastian raised his stick. They began to sing and Sora was blown away. Their voices rang out and everyone in the audience was glued to the edge of their seat. The mixture between altos and sopranos carried this song till the end. Their second song was just as good, if not better. Selphie surprised everyone with her powerful voice and was given a stand ovation. Mr. Sebastian led the group of singers offstage and the curtains fell. The lights began to dim as the band conductor's voice was heard over the speakers.

"Now presenting the Destiny High band."

The crowd clapped and the curtains rose in the dark. Soft jazz music began to play. The spotlight shone down on Tidus who was standing in the middle of the stage alone. He picked a few notes and the second curtain behind him went up revealing the rest of the band. The audience clapped at the introduction. The conductor tapped his stand and the drums began to play a mellow beat followed by Riku's bass. The rest of the instruments began to play and Tidus' guitar screamed out. His fingers danced along the neck of the guitar and his instrument shined in the light. The wind instruments blared, signaling the start of Tidus' solo. The whole audience was captivated by his control of the guitar and the notes he played sang out melodically. Tidus' fingers moved with such accuracy and it was unbelievable. The crowd cheered as he finished playing. He took a bow as the introduction to the next song was being played. This time it was Sora who began playing. He plucked a jazz riff that Tidus soloed over. The two guitars complimented each other well. They finished the song to the roar of the crowd. The curtain was drawn.

"I hope you all had a great time tonight," Yen Sid said.

The crowd applauded wildly.

"Great. We have one more song for you."

He motioned with his hand and the curtain lifted. Sora sat on a stool with his acoustic guitar strapped over his shoulder, a microphone stand in front of him. Kairi was stand on stage as well, a mic in her hand. Urchin walked on stage and sat behind the piano.

Sora cleared his throat before speaking.

"Hi…I'm Sora. This is Kairi and Urchin is over there behind the piano. We're going to play one last song called Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship."

Sora began to play and Urchin's piano played softly in the background.

_Sora:_

_Looking in your eyes, I see a paradise  
This world that I found is too good to be true  
Standing here beside you  
Want so much to give you this love in my heart  
That I'm feeling for you._

_Kairi:_

_Let them say we're crazy  
Don't care about that  
Baby round in my in my hand, baby, don't ever look back  
Let the world around us just fall apart  
Baby, we can make it if were heart to heart_

_Together:_

_And we can build this dream together,  
Standing strong forever  
Nothing's gonna stop us now  
And if this world runs out of lovers  
We'll still have each other  
Nothing's gonna stop us  
_

_Kairi:_

_Nothing's gonna stop us now_

_Sora:_

_I'm so glad I found you,  
I'm not gonna lose you  
Whatever it takes to I will stay here with you  
Take it to the good times,  
See it through the bad times  
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do_

_Kairi:_

_Let them say we're crazy  
What do they know?  
Put your arms around me, baby, don't ever let go  
Let the world around us just fall apart  
Baby, we can make it if were heart to heart_

_Together:_

_And we can build this dream together,  
Standing strong forever  
Nothing's gonna stop us now  
And if this world runs out of lovers  
We'll still have each other  
Nothing's gonna stop us_

_Kairi:_

_Nothing's gonna stop us_

_Sora:  
Oohh. all that I need is you  
_

_Kairi:  
All that I ever need.  
_

_Together:  
And all that I want to do is hold you forever, forever and ever_

_-Guitar Solo-_

_Together:_

_And we can build this dream together,  
Standing strong forever  
Nothing's gonna stop us now  
And if this world runs out of lovers  
We'll still have each other__Nothing's gonna stop us  
Nothing's gonna stop us now_

As they came toward the end of the song, both pairs of crystal blue eyes fluttered open in surprise, registering the most beautiful, unexpected emotion of love that pulled them to the edge of the heavens.

The entire auditorium faded into a mute silence, preserving the moment of truth forever in the hearts of world. Never again would such love ever be seen on Destiny Island.

Kairi leaned into Sora and their lips locked in a passionate kiss. All hell broke loose as the audience cheered. Urchin mashed out the infamous wedding tune on his piano but Kairi and Sora were totally oblivious to their surroundings. Sora dipped Kairi and he broke the kiss. The audience let out a big "aww" and Kairi blushed. Sora took her hand and led her outside. Kairi rested her head on his shoulder. The calm breeze was whispering of unsung melodies, slowly submerging the cute couple into an endless stretch of sky.

"And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other…" Sora softly sang.

Kairi turned her head up to him and smiled. Sora wrapped both arms around her and she melted into his embrace.

"…nothing's gonna stop us now," she hummed.

* * *

Special thanks to **Craxuan** (I copied and pasted your name on here for accuracy XD) for helping me write the last part of this chapter. I made a few changes; I hope you don't mind.

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	16. Chapter XV

This is going to be the second to the last chapter of this story. School is just right around the corner and I've got to prepare for that. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your summer. Sorry for the long wait on this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter XV**

Sora and Kairi walked hand in hand through the hallway. School had just finished and the two teens were eager to get home. They said their goodbyes to Selphie as she dashed past them on her way to Scrooge's, naturally. Riku and the rest of the guys played hooky so they weren't at school. They were probably getting ready for the battle of the bands competition at the end of the month. Sora and Kairi made their way through of the crowd of students who were waiting by the front of the school. The April showers caused quite a stir as everyone fought to stay dry. Sora, on the other hand, didn't really care for rain. His spiky hair kept the raindrops from getting into his eyes. He continued walking past the crowd, tightening his grip around Kairi who was getting tossed around like a garden salad. However, he was stopped when Kairi tugged on his arm.

"Um…Sora? I didn't bring a jacket," Kairi said.

Sora looked up the dark grey sky and watched the rain fall. It wasn't a downpour but it wasn't sprinkling either. They were sure to get soaked and getting sick wasn't on his agenda. He turned back to Kairi and looked at her outfit. She was wearing her normal pink dress looking outfit. This wasn't rain clothing for sure and she struggled to stop from shivering. Sora unzipped his black jacket and wrapped it around Kairi. It was fairly large for her petite frame but it did cover her up well.

"Thanks," Kairi murmured. She was still shaking a bit but at least she was getting warmer.

"You're welcome," Sora brightly said as he planted a kiss on her cheek. "Come on, let's go."

He pulled the hood over her head and led her out into the rain. Kairi yelped when water splashed on her legs and she jumped into Sora's arms. Sora laughed amusedly and threw an arm around her shoulder to shelter her. The walk home took longer than expected as Kairi tried her best to maneuver around the puddles that kept appearing out of the nowhere. Sora offered to carry her the rest of the way home but Kairi insisted, playfully responding "I'm too heavy." Sora shrugged but he retightened his grip on his girlfriend. He didn't want to see her fall; she was still wearing his jacket after all. They made it home- actually to Sora's house. He threw open the door for Kairi and she stepped into the heated living room. She slipped off the wet jacket and Sora handed her a towel to dry off. Sora plopped on the couch and rested his head on his arms. Yawning, he started to drift to sleep. Kairi threw the wet jacket at Sora who instantly jerked up.

"Wet! Ahhhh! Why is everything so black?"

Kairi giggled as Sora fought off the renegade jacket.

"Sing me a song," Kairi smiled.

Sora groaned as he sat up and reached for his acoustic guitar. He gave Kairi a small smile and began to play. His voice echoed around the room though he had no clue what he was singing. Words just popped into his head and came out through his mouth as if it was being done mechanically. It was a pretty good song nonetheless apparent by Kairi's cheer when he had finished. She wrapped herself in Sora's arms and pecked his cheek. Sora tickled her sides and she jolted up in response.

"No fair," Kairi laughed out.

"All's fair in love and war," Sora yelled out as he pinned Kairi down and continued to tickle her until she turned blue.

"Okay, okay. I give up!"

Sora stopped and helped her up. She was still fastened to his arm not wanting to let go. A small moan escaped her lips as she cuddled closer to him. She closed her eyes and within a few minutes she was fast asleep. Sora carried her silently up to his bedroom and gently placed her on his bed. He tucked the blanket over her and finished off with a kiss.

"Good night, my princess."

He closed the door behind him and went back downstairs to wait for the guys.

A knock on his door woke Sora up from his little nap and he casually walked over to open it. Riku, Wakka, and Tidus were waiting outside, instruments on hand. Roxas was there too. He had been given the week off from school for some strange reason, though ditching wasn't a far off excuse.

"Hey Sora," Riku greeted. He stepped through the threshold and led the group down to the den. Sora quietly closed the door behind them.

"I think we should practice without volume this time guys," he said. "Kairi's sleeping upstairs."

Roxas gave him a sly look then pounded on the cymbal of his drum set wildly.

"Dude!"

"Relax cousin," Roxas told him. "I'll just use the electric drums instead."

Band practice soon got under way.

-KH-

Kairi woke up to the drumming sound of the rain hitting the window sill. She slowly sat up and rubbed the cobwebs out of her eyes. A yawn and a long stretch followed before she stood to her feet. The room was dark and the grey rain clouds were still hovering over the island. The rain wasn't as bad as earlier but walking home was entirely out of the question. Kairi looked around Sora's room. It was a pretty clean room, though it was really small. The bed sat under the window and a lone light fixture hung on the ceiling above her. There was a book shelf off to the side- figurines and comic books were the main attractions. A rug was laid out in the middle of the floor and it felt fuzzy and soft to the bottom of her feet. The door was cracked open enough for her to hear music coming from downstairs. It was probably Sora on the acoustic guitar and she smiled. She loved having a boyfriend who could sing and play the guitar. She loved being serenaded. It was sweet and Sora looked so cute doing it. Kairi walked down the hall and descended the stairs to the bottom floor. The guitar and Sora were gone and Kairi wondered if she was hearing things. She walked up the den and rested her hand on the doorknob. He was probably in there. Riku's voice could be heard from behind the door and she quietly opened the door. There was Sora on the guitar and Tidus and Wakka were surrounding him singing a song. Riku was talking to Roxas who was examining his drumsticks.

"Hey Kairi," Sora said. "How was your sleep?"

"It was fine," Kairi said happily. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're getting ready for the battle of the bands," Wakka sang. "We are so going to win it."

"Hit it Sora!" Tidus screamed out. Sora crunched out a few guitar chords as Tidus and Wakka continued singing.

"Uh huh. We're going to win. You know it. We're gonna rock. You better believe it," the boys sang together. Tidus jumped on the air and landed on Wakka's shoulders. The orange haired boy stumbled forward taking Tidus down with him. They crash landed on the floor.

Kairi took a seat on the couch and laughed at her friends' performance. Wakka and Tidus weren't the greatest singers but their energy and charisma made up for their lack of talent. Hopefully they would win the competition.

"Alright guys. I think we'd better finish up here. I've got to get home," Riku said as he took a seat next to Kairi. "You're coming right, Kairi?"

Kairi smiled and nodded her head. There was no way she was going to miss this.

-KH-

The days were winding down and Sora felt a new surge of energy. He was totally psyched and with only a week until d-day, he grew restless. Commercials on the television advertising the competition were being shown and posters on billboards spread like wildfire. Even local radio stations had a segment dedicated to the competition with analysis, question and answer, previews, and predictions. School was just as worse. Riku and Tidus were constantly getting mobbed by fan girls for an autograph or a picture. Wakka couldn't even walk to the restroom without someone coming up to him wishing the band good luck. They were being treated like celebrities and Sora wondered how Roxas was faring at his school.

A voice over the intercom interrupted all the events as the principal's voice boomed over head.

"Good morning students," Yen Sid greeted warmly. "I hope your looking forward for another great day at school. Learn a lot. Now is time for your daily announcements."

"Good morning Destiny High," a voice enthusiastically yelled out. "This is DJ D-Myx and I'd personally like you invite all you to the Island dome for the battle of the bands competition."

The students cheered wildly and began chanting. They were really excited and they couldn't wait.

"Come and support the Key-bearers and I hope to see you there!" DJ D-Myx finished saying. "Oh yeah, I'm looking for Sora, Riku, Wakka, and Tidus."

The four boys looked at each other weirdly but filed into the principals office.

"Hey guys," DJ D-Myx said as he shook each of the boy's hands. "I was just wondering if you guys would like to do an interview at lunch. It'll be broadcasted all over the school and over the air so everyone could listen."

"OF COURSE!" Tidus joyfully answered. "That'd be so awesome."

"Tell me about it, brudda," Wakka agreed.

Riku and Sora nodded their heads and D-Myx turned back on the microphone.

"Attention, there will be an exclusive interview with the Key-bearers at lunch. That is all."

The students once again cheered.

Tidus went around giving the guys high fives. He'd never done an interview before and he was excited. The bell sounded and the boys left for their classes. Lunch was one class period away. For now, Sora, Riku, and Wakka had chemistry with Kairi while Tidus was alone for English.

-KH-

Lunch time was here and Tidus busted through the door. His class was the closest to the principal's office and he was the first one there. D-Myx was sitting across the table with the microphone and all this high tech stuff already set up. Tidus took a seat and waited for the rest of his friends to show up. Once they were all there, D-Myx started the interview.

"Alright guys, welcome to K ORG 13, Destiny Island's rock station. This is DJ D-Myx here at Destiny Islands High with four members of the Key-bearers, Sora, Riku, Tidus, and Wakka. Say hi you guys."

"Hi mom!" Tidus shouted.

"Um…hi." Riku said. A loud cheer echoed across the school as screaming fan girls went ballistic.

"Hey brudda," Wakka saluted.

"Hi mom. Hey Roxas," Sora greeted.

"Well first of all," D-Myx said. "Everyone's been wondering…are you guys going to win?"

"NO DOUBT…" Tidus instantly blurted.

"that we'll do our best but there's no guarantee that we'll win. We'll see what happens," Riku calmly said after Tidus. He didn't want to give everyone a false sense of hope but Tidus was practically guaranteeing the impossible.

"I see. But can you at least tell the audience how you'll do?"

Wakka this time answered the question choosing his words carefully. "We finish fourth last year, ya know, but we're improving. I'm going to say we should make it into the top three, man."

"So what song will you guys be playing?"

"We're playing Accidentally in Love by the Counting Crows. It was Roxas' idea," Sora answered.

Outside the room Kairi was smiling brightly. That was her all time favorite song.

"Good song choice," D-Myx commented. "Let's head to the phones for some caller interaction. This is K ORG 13 who's this?"

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I can't believe I'm on air!" an apparently excited girl said. "I have a question for Riku."

Riku spoke into the microphone already knowing what the question might be. "Riku here."

"OH MY GOSH I'M ACTUALLY TALKING TO RIKU!!"

"Oh brother," Riku murmured.

"I just wanted to know if you have a girlfriend."

'I knew she was going to ask this' Riku thought. Sora and the guys were laughing in their seat. This event was so common that is was actually funny. Everywhere they went, someone was bound to ask if he was single or not. It annoyed him greatly but the guys thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world.

"No I don't," Riku plainly replied.

The girl on the line smiled widely. "Could I be your girlfriend then?"

"I'm sorry. I'm not looking for anyone right now."

"Oh. Okay. I still love you Riku. You are so hot!"

"O-kay…thanks for the call," D-Myx butted in. "It's time for the next caller. Who's this?"

"Hey this is Selphie! I just wanted to wish you guys good luck and Sora, Kairi says hi but she's too shy to say it over the air."

Sora chuckled and rubbed his neck.

"Anyways, I just wanted to make it clear to that crazy chick who called earlier. Riku is mine so back off!"

Riku jolted out of his chair. That was such a lie. He was not going out with Selphie. D-Myx shook his head as Wakka, Tidus, and Sora were rolling on the floor cracking up.

"Well…thanks for the call…"

"Hold on," Selphie interrupted. "I'm not done yet. Kairi says she loves you Sora."

"I love you too, Kairi," Sora said over the intercom.

"Well I'd better go," Selphie said. "I love you Riku!"

Riku closed his eyes and massaged his temples. 'You are so dead, Selphie' he thought to himself.

Selphie smiled. She loved making everyone's lives miserable.

"Well enough of calls for now," D-Myx sighed. "Back to the interview."

Sora, Wakka, and Tidus climbed back into their seat. Riku was still muttering curses.

"Outside of being a band, what do you guys normally do?"

"I'm normally at the beach playing blitzball with Wakka," Tidus answered.

"What about you Sora?"

"Oh. I'm normally asleep or I'm hanging out with Kairi."

"Riku?"

"I just do whatever."

"So what would you guys do with the 10,000 munny prize if you win?"

"Pool party at Sora's house," Riku joked.

"But I don't have a pool," Sora answered.

"You will once we win," Tidus said. "And why does it have to be at Sora's house? It should be at my house. I'll tell ya, once I get that pool all the pretty ladies are welcomed."

A loud cheer could be heard from the hall. Yuna, though wasn't thrilled but she knew deep down that Tidus was joking. They weren't going out or anything but it sure felt like it.

"I'm practically going to live in that pool, ya know," Wakka added.

"Sounds good. I should probably drop by then," D-Myx laughed. "Last question you guys, what is your favorite food?"

"Island burger," Sora answered.

"Island burger," Wakka said.

"Island burger," Tidus repeated.

"…Island burger," Riku replied after a brief hesitation.

"Well there you have it. This is DJ D-Myx live at Destiny Island High with the Island burger loving Key-bears. Don't forget to head out to the Island dome and check out the battle of the bands competition at the end of the month. I'll see you there."

* * *

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


	17. Chapter XVI

Disclaimer: For the last time already, I don't anything except this story. All ideas are mine. Names, logos, trademarks, etc belong to their respective owners. _These disclaimers are so troublesome._

* * *

**Chapter XVI**

Sora yawned as stepped off the bus. He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and looked around the barren, quiet, and chilly parking lot. Flags were waving over the stadium and the sun was just coming out behind the clouds. The last time he checked, it was almost 7 o'clock in the morning. He stretched his arms and legs to shake the stiffness off his body. He flexed his fingers and walked forward. Riku stepped off the bus next and immediately was reminded of last year's competition. Screams of 'you rock', ear-piercing whistles, and thunderous clapping flooded his thoughts. He ran a hand through his silver locks and let his backpack hang from his shoulder. Tidus jumped down behind him and looked around. He remembered this scene all too well. It was the calm before the storm, practically. Roxas thanked the driver and hopped off the bus. He had a magazine in his hand and his bag in the other. Instead of stopping and surveying the landscape he immediately swung around to the back of the bus to unload his drums. He was too excited and he could hardly contain himself. Wakka came off the bus last. He took notice of the silence and chilly weather knowing it would be loud and fiery once the afternoon strolled around.

"Where silence speaks as loud as war," Riku sighed.

"Tell me about it. All this quietness and I can't even hear myself think," Sora said as he adjusted his bag strap. The ride here was quick, though, without any problems, silent. The boys were in dead silence the entire trip, minds focused on winning.

The five boys unloaded their equipment and loaded them onto the golf carts to have them transported to the back of the stadium. Once they each thanked the driver, they followed the carts to the stadium. A man with a clipboard and pen met them there. He took off his sunglasses and scratched his head.

"Hold on, let me guess. The…Key-bearers, right?"

"Yup, that's us," Roxas answered as he gave him a high five. "It's good to see you remember us, Mr. Announcer."

"Of course, why wouldn't I? I think it's only fair to remember the band that almost burned down the stadium last year."

Roxas and the rest of the boys grinned. It was practically their fault. Roxas got caught up in an insane drum solo, arms flailing wildly, and he almost knocked down the speakers behind him and not to mention the adapters, wires, and other electrical equipment. However, Sora did start the chaos by almost frying his amp and it didn't help that crazy, screaming, fan girls were trying to rush the stage to get to Riku. It was butt wild.

"Ah, well," the announcer laughed. "I hope this year will go better for you guys. You can seriously play but from what I've seen so far, there's a lot of competition out there."

"No worries, brudda," Wakka said. "I'm ready to do this!"

"First of all, take these." He handed Sora a sheet of paper. "It's a registration form. Just fill out all the stuff that's highlighted in yellow and give it back to me as soon as possible. You guys know the drill."

He handed Sora a pen and ushered the boys inside to the lobby.

The boys walked past a few other bands that were lounging around or tuning up their instruments. They entered into a vacant room and Sora pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. He looked over the form and began filling it out. Riku and Tidus went back outside and gathered their equipment. Wakka went to find food and Roxas ventured off to find a restroom.

"Hey Sora, where do you want this?" Riku asked as he held up Sora's guitar.

"Just put it over there," Sora directed. "Hey Riku, can you look this over and make sure I got everything?"

He handed Riku the paper and Riku looked it over. "Yeah, it's fine. Go ahead and turn it in."

Sora left the room to hunt down the announcer while Riku and Tidus finished setting up the instruments. They wanted to warm up a few times before they had to play. Riku always believed that being prepared always paid off in the end. Once Sora, Wakka, and Roxas got back, Riku called for a band meeting. They closed the door and prepared themselves. It was around 10 o'clock by the time they heard someone's voice over the telecom. _Will all bands please make way to the auditorium._

"I just wanted to welcome you guys to this year's battle of the bands competition," the announcer started out by saying. "We have a few more bands competing than last year so I'm predicting a great show. Well anyways, here's the playing order."

He read off all the bands and the Key-bearers were playing last.

"Oh yeah! Saving the best for last," Tidus remarked.

"Don't forget to turn in your registration forms and you guys have until 2:30 to do whatever. Show starts are three. If you're not here, you will be disqualified," the announcer concluded. "Rock out and good luck!"

Everyone emptied the auditorium. The boys decided to take a nap and awoke only to eat lunch or whatever food Wakka was able to find. They would need their energy after all.

-KH-

"Kairi! Let's go," Selphie yelled from downstairs. She anxiously glanced at the clock every now and then. "Come on. I swear, you are so slow."

Kairi finished combing her hair and applied a bit of makeup before walking downstairs. Lastly, she hooked on the bracelet that Sora got her for Christmas. She stepped past an annoyed and irritated Selphie and slipped into her shoes that matched her red top.

"Finally. Now we can get out of here!" Selphie sighed jubilantly. "If I'm late thanks to you, you'll be sorry."

"What are you talking about, Selphie? The stadium is just fifteen minutes away. Don't worry. We'll make it, I promise."

Kairi's mother entered the living room and had her keys in hand. "Are you girls ready to go?"

"Yes, we are," Selphie said as she glared at Kairi. "Kairi took forever."

"Well it's not my fault. I take a long time to get ready."

'Ready for Sora' Selphie said in her head.

The girls entered the car and they took off. Kairi, who was sitting shotgun, turned on the radio and an advertisement was playing. _This is DJ-Dmyx and I want to welcome all Destiny Islanders to the Battle of the Bands Competition today at three. Come hear great music and come support Destiny Island's own, the Key-bearers._

"Woooottt!" cheered Selphie. "Yeah, that's Sora's band! They are so going to win!"

Kairi laughed. Selphie had a lot of energy this morning, actually, more energy that usual. Kairi didn't know if that was good thing.

The car merged onto the freeway. It wouldn't be too long until they reached the stadium.

-KH-

_This is the final call for all bands. Please make your way backstage._

Sora glanced at the clock. It was 2:30, right on the dot. He and the others walked out the room and made way backstage.

The backstage was pretty dark and a thick red curtain separated the stage from backstage. There was a couch, a couple chairs here and there, and giant, electrical fans were blowing everywhere. Sora stepped out from behind the curtain and onto the stage. He shielded his eyes from the bright overhead lights. He carefully stepped around the instruments that were already laid out. Sora shivered as he felt a newfound energy and excitment well up inside him. Pulling up to the edge of the stage, he looked out at the stands. Soon those seats would be completely filled. Soon.

"Well here we are," the announcer announced as Sora made his way back. "As you can tell, we're just finishing with the lighting for the first band. Once they are done playing, the next band will have their instruments placed out there during the transition period. Try to get your instruments on deck so we can transition smoothly and quickly."

"Oh man, this is going to be great!" Roxas exclaimed. "This is going to be EPIC!"

"Right," Riku sighed. He wasn't the worried type. He yawned and went back to the room.

"Wonder what's with him?" Roxas asked.

"Who knows, brudda," Wakka answered. "I think I'm going to take a little rest on that couch over there, ya know."

And then there were three. Sora wanted to stay to get the load on the competition. Roxas was too hyped up and he wanted to get this show on the road. Tidus, on the other hand, took a seat on one of the chairs and prepared for the worst.

-KH-

"Yay! We're here," Sephie jubilantly shouted from the top of her lungs. She threw open the car door and jumped outside. The sun was high in the sky with no clouds visible. Kairi's mom stopped the car at a vacant parking space close to the ticket booth. "Oh Kairi, look over there. I can see the entrance."

Selphie popped her head back inside the car and gave Kairi's mom a wink. Kairi's mom responded with a wink and smile of her own.

Kairi took her time getting out the car. She kissed her mom goodbye before she drove off. Kairi looked around the parking lot. There were several cars out there but vans and busses, by far, the most numerous. Selphie raced her way to the ticket booth with Kairi following behind.

"Aww man," Selphie complained. "Look at this line. This is going to take forever!"

"Do you think they'll open up another window?" someone asked. The line lengthened as more and more people showed up.

Kairi stepped out of line and looked towards the front. The stadium doors were not open yet and by the looks of it, they haven't even started selling tickets either. She looked at her watch and it read '2:45.' She sighed as she slipped back in line behind Selphie.

_Attention, all ticket buyers. We will begin selling tickets now. Seating is on a first come first serve basis. Also there is stand room up front and towards the back. Please don't rush, we have ample seating. Thanks._

Soon the line moved forward as Kairi felt herself being pushed from behind. She almost collided with Selphie but was able to catch herself midway.

-KH-

_The show will start in ten minutes. I want the first band front and center immediately. That is all._

Riku woke up from his nap and traced his steps to the backstage. He found the guys sitting at the couch and he decided to join them.

"Look who just woke up," Tidus laughed. "I was afraid you were going to miss it."

Riku brushed his bangs out of his face and gave him a thumbs up. He took a seat next to Sora.

"I wonder who the first band is," Roxas inquired.

"I think they're called the Seagulls or something like that. I don't know. I don't remember," Sora said.

"Are they a new band? I don't remember them from last year," Wakka commented.

"I don't think so. It might be me, but I think I've heard that name before," Riku said.

"Well, whatever man. I just want to see them play," Tidus retorted.

-KH-

Selphie and Kairi bought their tickets and were looking for a place to sit. Kairi wanted to stay away from the front and far from potential mosh pits but Selphie, the hyper, in your face, powerhouse wanted to be up-close and personal.

"Come on Kairi, where do you want to sit?" Selphie asked.

"Somewhere in the middle so I can see everything."

"Well, how about the front?"

"No, that's too close and besides, people up there are wild."

"That's the whole point. Don't you want to be up close and support the guys?"

"I do but…"

"Well then let's go." Selphie immediately snatched Kairi's arm and hauled her to the front. They squeezed between a few other people and Kairi felt guilty as the person next to her uttered something rather vulgar.

"You picked a good spot, Kairi," Selphie congratulated.

Kairi glared at her but it was too dark and Selphie probably didn't see it.

The atmosphere of the stadium was heavy. It was loud. People were screaming and camera lights were going on and off. Kairi got pushed around a few times as more and more people tried to squeeze in. Selphie whipped out her cell phone and turned it on. It was already three and the show was going to start any second now.

As if on cue, smoke started to rise from the stage. A loud, crashing drum made Kairi jump and fire spewed from the sides of the stage causing a few people to jump back. A man in burgundy colored jeans and a white muscle shirt came from the side and walked up to the center of the stage. A bright spotlight shown down on him.

"How you guys doing tonight?" Cheers and claps shook the stadium.

"Alright. That's what I'm talking about. For those of you how don't know who I am, I am the announcer and before we get this show started I just wanted to welcome you all to the annual battle of the bands competition. I'd like to introduce the three judges tonight. First we have Lumiere, a singer/songwriter from Beast Castle."

"It's a pleasure to be here tonight, Mr. Announcer," Lumiere stated as he took a bow.

"Second we have Cid Highwind, from Traverse Town."

Sora and the gang immediately recognized him from the haunted house last October.

"Yeah, yeah. It's great to be here. Let's start the show, you hear me." A booming applause followed. "I think the audience agrees with me."

"Well, don't worry. I promise this show is going to be one for the ages. Now, our last judge is Destiny Island's own Sebastian Crab, choir/symphony director."

A loud applause followed and Sebastian stood up and blew kisses at everybody.

Once the applause died down the announcer finished his introduction.

"Before I bring the first band up, I'd like to wish all participants luck and in the words of the immortal AC/DC 'for those about to rock, we salute you.'" Fire, once again, blasted up the sides of the stage.

"Introducing the Gull Wings."

The announcer retreated behind the curtain and the band took the stage.

"Hi, we're the Gull Wings," a girl with blue and green eyes said. "I'm Yuna. This is Paine and she's on the bass. Lulu's on the drums and Rikku is our guitarist and the song we'll be performing is _Hit Me With Your Best Shot _by Pat Benatar.

"Lulu?!"

"Yuna?!"

Wakka and Tidus flew off the couch. They didn't believe that their girlfriends were in a band, let alone competing. Tidus knew Yuna could sing, but she said it was only for church. Wakka had no idea that Lulu had any musical talent whatsoever.

Yuna voice echoed throughout the whole stadium, her powerful but beautiful voice paired well with Lulu's driving drum playing and the intensity of Rikku's guitar. Everyone in the front started jumping wildly and Kairi wished she was sitting somewhere else. Selphie, of course, was springing up and down, hands thrown in the air, hair all over the place. No one jumped as high as her.

The Gull Wings ended their performance with a bright flash that coordinated with the drums and were given a loud ovation. They took a bow and headed back inside where Tidus and Wakka were waiting for them.

"You were great," Tidus said as he came to Yuna and embraced her in a hug.

"Yeah, you guys were awesome. That was definitely better than the original," Wakka second as he gave Lulu a hug as well.

"Do you think we won?" Yuna toyingly asked.

"Not in your life," Tidus answered with a stern look on his face that turned into a hysterical laugh. Yuna gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and Tidus blushed. "Ok…maybe you have a shot at winning."

The band following Yuna's had a so-so reception. They messed up a few times but it was hardly noticeable. One of the bands really surprised Sora. They played _Sweet Child O' Mine_ and it sounded like a winner but the look on the judge's faces proved otherwise. Sora peered out and caught a glimpse at Lumiere who was whispering something to Cid who then responded by shaking his head. Whatever they conversed about, Sora was sure to not make the same mistake. It turned out that the singer was off key. Leave it to a choir director to find that fault. After a few more bands went up, a short intermission was scheduled.

Riku entered the boys restroom and splashed his face with cold water then dried himself off. He was somewhat impressed. Yuna's band was pretty good and the band that consisted of three people dressed as goths were pretty good as well. He still wasn't worried though.

"You guys still with me?" the announcer asked as he came back out. "You guys want some more!?"

The crowd's response grew louder and louder.

"Yeah! Well then, next up is the Thirteenth Order."

This time it was Roxas who jumped out of his seat. The Thirteenth Order was his old band at Twilight Town way before he joined with his cousin, Sora. His eyes narrowed and he gave each of his band members-Sora, Wakka, Tidus, Riku a concerned look which could be interpreted as 'they're good. We're in deep trouble.'

Sora tensed. Wakka stared straight ahead. Tidus plopped on the couch and rubbed his chin. The situation looked grave.

The lights in the stadium were turned off and a cold, chill breeze brought shivers to everyone in the audience. Soon a single beam of light descended on the stage to reveal a layer of smoke, courtesy of dry ice. A voice penetrated the darkness. "We're the Thirteenth Order and we'll be playing AC/DC's _Back in Black. _The lights were still out and the clashing of a high-hat was heard. The drums and the lights simultaneously came on to show five teens dressed in head to toe in black, their hoods pulled up over their heads concealing their faces. While the intro to the song was playing, each member removed their hoods.

Roxas wasn't surprised at the lineup. Zexion had always been the lead singer. The fiery red head, Axel, was on bass. Demyx was on the guitar and Xaldin was Roxas' replacement on the kit. He had to admit, Xaldin was good and the way he could control multiple drumsticks looked like magic. But what surprised Roxas the most was how Zexion's voice was easily molded to sound like Brian Johnson. Zexion and Demyx made a formidable one-two punch. Zexion's boyish looks and silver hair mixed with Demyx's shredding ability easily made this band a favorite. You also can't forget to mention that they placed second last year. By the time the guitar solo rolled around all the girls had to be restrained from storming the stage. Sora looked over at Riku who returned a smirk. For once, he was happy the girls weren't all over him.

"Holy mother of…he is so freaking HOT!" Selphie yelled out. She couldn't control herself any longer and she pushed her way past all these other screaming girls to get closer to Zexion.

"What did he say his name was?" some girl asked.

"I don't know," Selphie said. "But I don't care. He's hot and he's mine."

"Actually, his name is Zexion," Kairi corrected. It seemed like she was the only girl not captivated by him.

"Zexy, what a name," Selphie said as she almost fainted because Zexion looked in her direction. "Kairi, catch me."

Kairi rolled her eyes and continued enjoying the music. Soon the song ended and a chorus of "ZEXY! ZEXY! ZEXY!" resonated all over the entire stadium. Axel took off his bass and put a hand on Demyx's shoulder and whispered something in his ear. "Game over."

It took a while for the chants to die down and it got so bad that Zexion, himself, had to come out to pacify the screaming girls.

Sora called the guys together in a huddle and they devised their game plan.

"Well it has come down to this. We have one more band left. Put your hands together for the Key-bearers."

Selphie and Kairi jumped up and screamed. They were finally able to see their friends play for the first time. Sora walked over the mic stand as the rest of the guys got behind their instruments.

"Hey, I'm Sora and we're the Key-bearers. You guys might have remembered us from last year since we almost burned down the stadium."

Kairi and Selphie's jaws dropped and their eyes widened. _Sora was joking, right? _Selphie laughed along with the rest of the audience while Kairi said a small prayer.

"Don't worry though. It looks like Zexion already brought the heat. We won't burn anything down right, Riku?" Sora finished saying.

Riku turned around and glared at Sora. "You are so going to pay for this," he whispered in his friend's ear. Upon hearing the name, Riku, all the girls started screaming again. Forget battle of the bands, this was the battle of the hotties. Zexion vs. Riku.

Roxas counted off and the band started playing. Tidus, beforehand, was moved to lead guitar to give Sora a chance to gain some style points by working the audience. They had to pull all the stops if they were to win this one. The lights focused in on Sora who began singing and flickered back and forth between he and Tidus who also sang back up. Sora sang while he rocked the mic. He twirled the mic stand, jumped in the air, and played some guitar as well. As the song progressed, Kairi found herself singing along as well. It was her favorite song. Selphie grinned. If this worked, she'd be a genius. It got to the bridge where a keyboard could be heard. Sora turned to Wakka and gave him a salute. As Sora repeated the words 'we're accidentally in love' his eyes fell upon Kairi. Kairi smiled and she unconsciously began moving forward towards the stage. She felt like she was floating towards him. _We're accidentally in love…_ Sora held out his hand to her and she took it. _We're accidentally in love…_ Kairi felt her cheeks redden as Sora sang to her. His gaze never left her as he took his hand and brushed aside a strand of hair that was hanging above her eyes. He stroked her cheek and Kairi melted at his touch. Kairi couldn't believe it. Sora was actually serenading her in front of a million people. However, the union was short as other girls took this opportunity to grab Sora as well. He almost fell off the stage but was able to regain his balance. The song ended and Sora waved at the crowd. He gave Riku a nudge and Riku walked up to the edge of the stage and shook hands with all the screaming fan girls.

Now it was all on the judges who were tallying scores, writing notes, and folding papers. Sora sat in the back with his head resting on his hand. Riku leaned the doorway, his arms crossed. Yuna looked like she was praying and Axel and Demyx were calmly disconnecting the wires from their amps. The judges had a brief discussion that ended in a nod and a handshake. They handed the results sheet to the announcer.

"Ahem," the announcer said as he cleared his throat. "Now is the moment of truth. In this envelope is the name of the band who won. They will receive this wonderful trophy and on top of that, 10,000 munny."

He broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out the paper. He unfolded it. "The winner of this year's battle of the bands competition is…"

Wakka's eyes widened.

Rikku clenched her fists tighter.

Zexion lazily blew a stand of hair out of his face.

The whole audience was on the edge of their seats.

Roxas was picking his nose…

"The Thirteenth Order! Congratulations!"

The stadium cheered. Kairi and Selphie couldn't believe it. They felt that the Key-bearers performance offered a lot more than the Thirteenth Order's.

"Funny, I thought that the Key-bearers would win," a little boy said to Selphie.

"Yeah, I thought too…"

Soon the little boy started chanting "Key-bearers! Key-bearers! Key-bearers!"

Selphie joined him as well. Soon enough the whole stadium busted out with a plethora of "Key-bearers! Key-bearers! Key-bearers!" while the Thirteenth Order came out on stage to receive the trophy.

Meanwhile backstage, the guys were sitting on the couch. Sora was rubbing his head; Roxas had his face buried in his hands. Riku was still leaning on the doorframe. Tidus and Wakka were sitting down, hands folded. They couldn't believe they lost.

"Key-bearers! Key-bearers! Key-bearers!"

"Huh, did you hear that?" Sora said.

Roxas lifted his head and listened closely.

"Key-bearers! Key-bearers! Key-bearers!"

Even Riku, the stoic one, propped himself up and smiled. It was an encore.

"Well guys," Sora said. "What do you say we give them what they came for?"

"…And this time, we're doing this 1984 style!" Tidus proclaimed.

"Oh yeah, brudda," agreed Wakka.

Sora immediately cut the lights and the whole stadium was plunged into total darkness. Tidus ran out to the stage and a spotlight focused in on him. He was waving a red flag. Soon Wakka jumped out from behind the curtain pounding out the intro to Van Halen's _Jump._ The crowd immediately cheered. Tidus dropped the flag and strapped on his guitar. Another spotlight turned on and it showed Roxas behind his drum kit. Riku stepped out from behind the curtain and was greeted by fan girls screaming his name. Soon Sora was singing but he wasn't on stage. An overhead light turned on in the back of the stadium to reveal Sora running up the aisle, microphone in hand, dancing. He slapped hands with a few people in the crowd as run up to the stage. With Wakka grinding out the ever-popular riff and Tidus covering the vocals, Sora was able to plug in his Frankenstrat and enter with a face melting solo. By the time the whole song was the over, the entire stadium was jumping.

"You know how I said that we weren't going to burn the stadium down…I'm not going to lie…"

Sora reminded the audience after Wakka's keyboard solo.

"…we're going to bring the house down instead!" Sora flashed that famous grin of his and tried to imagine the look on the face of the announcer. _He probably won't invite us next year if this keeps up._

_Might as well jump. Jump!  
Go ahead, jump.  
Might as well jump. Jump!  
Go ahead, jump. Jump!_

The song ended and Roxas jumped straight into the crowd. Wakka and Tidus followed. Sora walked up to Riku. "Well, you gonna jump?"

Riku turned to his friend and chuckled. "Me? Jump into crazy fan girls? No thanks." He walked back inside. Sora just stood there shaking his head. He turned back to the audience. _Oh why not._

Roxas jumped down from the fans who were holding him up. He threw his hands in the air and gave them high fives as he ran back to the stage. He was running a bit too fast and he toppled over a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Roxas immediately reached out to help her out. Once she was standing she moved her hair out of her face to reveal a set of innocent, sweet blue eyes. Roxas stood there dumbfounded. He had to admit, she was pretty cute.

"I'm uh…really sorry for that," Roxas stammered.

"No, it's my fault. I didn't see you coming," the girl replied sweetly. A small giggle escaped her lips and Roxas almost fainted.

"No. It wasn't your fault" Roxas assured her. "I was the one who didn't see you. I'm really sorry."

"I'm Roxas, by the way," he said extending his hand.

"Hi Roxas. It's nice to meet you," the girl said as she took his hand. "I'm Namine."

'That's a pretty name for a pretty girl' Roxas thought. He tried to keep his composure but on the inside he was going ballistic.

"I've never seen you before. I mean...are you from here?"

"I'm from Twilight Town. I came with my family, the guys who know as the Thirteenth Order."

"Thirteenth Order?" Roxas couldn't believe his ears. "I used to be their drummer a long time ago but I don't remember ever seeing you before."

"I probably wasn't there. Most of the time I was in my room, drawing."

Roxas nodded his head. Try as he might, he couldn't stop staring into her eyes. She had blonde hair and she had a cute smile as well. If he'd known better, she was probably an angel.

"Roxas, what have I told you about flirting," someone said.

Roxas turned around and saw Axel approaching. He let go of Namine's hand. "I wasn't flirting with her Axel, I was helping her up."

"That's not what I saw," Axel answered. "Come on Namine, we have to go. We have to beat traffic."

Namine nodded and turned to Roxas. "It was nice meeting you Roxas."

She shook his hand again before following Axel out of the stadium. Roxas opened his fist and unfolded the paper Namine slipped him. 'Oh yeah! I got her phone number' Roxas rejoiced. He stuffed the paper in his pocket and walked back up the stage, a smile plastered on his face.

-KH-

The guys finished loading their instruments on the bus and each took one last look at the stadium. They came to win but instead they won the hearts of many fans. They wanted to play a kick butt show and they ended up encoring. They looked to avenge their loss last year and they ended up surpassing all expectations. They played one great show that possibly changed the entire universe.

Sora was the last to step on the bus. It was late already. He guessed it was around eleven or twelve but before he could take another step he was stopped.

"Sora! Wait up."

Sora turned around. It was probably the announcer with lawsuits but it wasn't. It was Kairi. She ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "You guys were awesome! You should have won."

Sora smiled. "Thanks but the Thirteenth Order won because they outplayed us."

"No they didn't," Selphie answered. "You guys did everything. You got the crowd involved. Riku proved that he's the biggest heartthrob on the world."

"Hey, I heard that," Riku said from inside the bus. Selphie giggled. "Like I said, you guys were great."

"Well, we better get back to the parking lot before my mom leaves us here," Kairi said.

"Wait. Hold on Kairi. Your mom knows that we're riding the bus with Sora," Selphie said.

"Really? Selphie? Did you plan this?"

"Maybe…a little," she grinned.

"Well come on in." Sora stepped out the way to let the girls in. Roxas was sleeping and he took up an entire row. Behind him sat Wakka and Tidus. Selphie took a seat next to Riku and gave him a grin. Riku shook his head and rolled his eyes in disbelief. That left Sora and Kairi sitting together. The bus took off and Sora spent most of his time staring out the window. Kairi on the other hand was pretty tired. She yawned and fell asleep, hugging Sora's arm. A bump in the road caused her head to fall on Sora's shoulder. Sora adjusted his body slightly so Kairi wouldn't strain herself. He moved slowly so he wouldn't wake her. He turned and looked at her. Her vanilla colored skin made her look like an angel. Sora smiled and continued looking out the window. Selphie and Riku were sitting a seat in front of Sora and watched his every move via a mirror from Selphie's makeup kit. Selphie cooed and Riku did his best not to laugh. Kairi stirred and woke up. Her eyes were halfway open. She adjusted her head on Sora's shoulder and scooted closer to him inviting the warmth that radiated from his body. Soon Sora grew sleepy too and he wrapped his arm around Kairi's waist. His head bobbed up and down as he tried to stay awake. It was futile as his head landed atop Kairi's head. Selphie, looking through her mirror smiled and she turned around. She took out her camera and took a picture of the cute couple. _This one's definitely a keeper._

**END**

* * *

I'd like to thank **RockCityRoadStar **(my favorite rambler) and **Craxuan **(thanks for all your help, you basically wrote a third of this fic) for sticking with me from the very beginning. Shout outs to **Chickenman00712**,** BlacAngel**, **pyroguy14**, **xXlil'eveXx**; I can't forget about you guys. Hey **xXbluerainsXx** why didn't you tell me you changed your pen name? I was thinking to myself "who is this guy?" **Twistedvamp**, I told you this chapter was going to be long. To everyone else, THANK YOU!

_Rock out, party hard, live hardcore_


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